In the present work, a combination of Raman spectroscopy and grazing incidence x-ray reflectivity (GIXRR) techniques has been used for structural characterization of electron-beam evaporated [Si (5 nm)/Ge (5 nm)] ×10 and [Si (10 nm)/Ge (10 nm)] ×10 multilayer structures (MLS) as a function of annealing temperature. The Raman measurements show that in the case of both short and long period Si/Ge MLS, in addition to the normally observed Si-Si and Ge-Ge optical phonon modes, we also observe first order features from SiGe alloy, indicating the presence of intermixing and phase formation at the interface during deposition. Also the frequency and intensity of this alloy feature depends mainly on layer thicknesses and are enhanced in longer period MLS. These results are also supported by GIXRR and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements. However, in spite of the heavier interdiffusion during deposition, upon annealing at higher temperatures the longer period MLS shows a comparatively stable nature. The results are interpreted in terms of diffusion-induced structural changes in the MLS as a function of annealing temperature.(Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)
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