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We introduce a synthetic strategy to access functional semiconductors with general formula A(3)XY (A = IV, X-Y = III-V) representing a new class within the long-sought family of group IV/III-V hybrid compounds. The method is based on molecular precursors that combine purposely designed polar/nonpolar bonding at the nanoscale, potentially allowing precise engineering of structural and optical properties, including lattice dimensions and band structure. In this Article, we demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed strategy by growing a new monocrystalline AlPSi(3) phase on Si substrates via tailored interactions of P(SiH(3))(3) and Al atoms using gas source (GS) MBE. In this case, the high affinity of Al for the P ligands leads to Si(3)AlP bonding arrangements, which then confer their structure and composition to form the corresponding Si(3)AlP target solid via complete elimination of H(2) at ∼500 °C. First principle simulations at the molecular and solid-state level confirm that the Si(3)AlP building blocks can readily interlink with minimal distortion to produce diamond-like structures in which the P atoms are arranged on a common sublattice as third-nearest neighbors in a manner that excludes the formation of unfavorable Al-Al bonds. High-resolution XRD, XTEM, and RBS indicate that all films grown on Si(100) are tetragonally strained and fully coherent with the substrate and possess near-cubic symmetry. The Raman spectra are consistent with a growth mechanism that proceeds via full incorporation of preformed Si(3)AlP tetrahedra with residual orientational disorder. Collectively, the characterization data show that the structuro-chemical compatibility between the epilayer and substrate leads to flawless integration, as expected for pseudohomoepitaxy of an Si-like material grown on a bulk Si platform.

Background: Low-power ultrashort pulsed (USP) lasers operating at wavelengths of 425 nm and near infrared region have been shown to effectively inactivate viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), M13 bacteriophage, and murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). It was shown previously that non-enveloped, helical viruses such as M13 bacteriophage, were inactivated by a USP laser through an impulsive stimulated Raman scattering (ISRS) process. Recently, enveloped virus like MCMV has been shown to be inactivated by a USP laser via protein aggregation induced by an ISRS process. However, the inactivation mechanism for a clinically important class of viruses -non-enveloped, icosahedral viruses remains unknown.

Ge1-ySny alloys with compositions in the 0.15 < y < 0.30 range have been grown directly on Si substrates using a chemical vapor deposition approach that allows for growth temperatures as high as 290 o C. The films show structural properties that are consistent with results from earlier materials with much lower Sn concentrations. These include the lattice parameter and the Ge-Ge Raman frequency, which are found to depend linearly on composition. The simplicity of the structures, directly grown on Si, makes it possible to carry out detailed optical studies. Sharp absorption edges are found, reaching 8 μm near y =0.3. The compositional dependence of edge energies shows a cubic deviation from the standard quadratic alloy expression. The cubic term may dramatically impact the ability of the alloys to cover the long-wavelength (8-12 μm) mid-IR atmospheric window. * chixu@asu.edu

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