Strain-induced growth of SiO2 dots by liquid phase deposition

Silicon dioxide dots are deposited on the Si cap layers of self-assembled Ge dots using a liquid phase deposition method. The Si capping layer directly above the Ge dots has a tensile strain, while the Si cap on the wetting layer is not strained. The tensile strain can enhance the silicon dioxide nucleation and deposition on Si surface, and SiO2 dots are directly formed on the top of Ge dots with the SiO2 wetting layers between the dots. The step height and base width of the dots increase with the deposition time. A metal-oxide-semiconductor photodetector is fabricated using the liquid-phase-deposited oxide, and has a responsivity of 0.08 mA/W at 1550 nm. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.