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The pseudomorphic growth of Ge1-xSnxon Ge causes in-plane compressive strain, which degrades the superior properties of the Ge1-xSnx alloys. Therefore, efficient strain engineering is required. In this article, we present strain and band-gap engineering in Ge1-xSnxalloys grown on Ge a virtual substrate using post-growth nanosecond pulsed laser melting (PLM). Micro-Raman and X-ray diffraction show that the initial in-plane compressive strain is removed. Moreover, for PLM energy densities higher than 0.5 J cm-2, the Ge0.89Sn0.11 layer becomes tensile strained. Simultaneously, as revealed by Rutherford Backscattering spectrometry, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy investigations and X-ray diffraction the crystalline quality and Sn-distribution in PLM-treated Ge0.89Sn0.11 layers are only slightly affected. Additionally, the change of the band structure after PLM is confirmed by low-temperature photoreflectance measurements. The presented results prove that post-growth ns-range PLM is an effective way for band-gap and strain engineering in highly-mismatched alloys.

The binary alloy germanium tin has already been presented as a direct group IV semiconductor at high tin concentrations and specific strain. Therefore, it offers a promising approach for the monolithic integrated light source towards the optical on-chip communication on silicon. However, the main challenge faced by many researchers is the achievement of high tin concentrations and good crystal quality. The key issues are the lattice mismatch to silicon and germanium, as well as the limited solid solubility of tin in germanium of less than 1%. Therefore, this paper presents a systematic investigation of the epitaxial growth conditions of germanium tin with tin concentrations up to 17%. For this, we performed two growth experiments utilizing molecular beam epitaxy. In one experiment, we varied the growth temperature for the epitaxy of germanium tin with 8% tin to investigate the inter-growth temperature stability. In the second experiment, we focused on the strain-relaxation of germanium tin, depending on different tin concentrations and doping types. The results of subsequent material analysis with x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy allow us to narrow the epitaxial window of germanium tin. Furthermore, we present a possible explanation for the unique relaxation mechanism of germanium tin, which is significantly different from the well-known relaxation mechanism of silicon germanium.

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