ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the silicon–germanium (SiGe) molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth techniques with the individual technical components such as the ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) system, the evaporation sources, the substrate heating, and the in situ monitoring of the process. MBE growth is carried out under conditions far from thermodynamic equilibrium and is dominated mainly by the kinetics of the surface processes occurring when the impinging beams react with the top atomic layer of the substrate. An MBE machine involves the generation of molecular beams of matrix material such as silicon or germanium and doping species and their interaction with the substrate surface to form a single-crystal deposit under UHV conditions. In order to overcome the exchange between air and UHV, an MBE machine consist of at least two chambers, a growth chamber and a load lock. In modern SiGe MBE systems, boron is evaporated using a high-temperature source with special graphite crucibles.
