Strained-Layer Epitaxy of Germanium-Silicon Alloys

Despite the dominant position of silicon in semiconductor electronics, its use is ultimately limited by its incompatibility with other semiconducting materials. Strained-layer epitaxy overcomes problems of crystallographic compatibility and produces high-quality heterostructures of germanium-silicon layers on silicon. This opens the door to a range of electronic and photonic devices that are based on bandstructure physics.