Microstructural analysis of nanostructured amorphous silicon–germanium alloys: Numerical modeling

A detailed microstructural analysis of amorphous silicon–germanium alloys with germanium fraction ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 is performed by means of a numerical modeling technique. By substituting Ge atoms for Si atoms in nanoporous paracrystalline network of amorphous silicon, several amorphous silicon–germanium structures have been generated then relaxed. The main aim of our work is to study the effect of compositional heterogeneities on the structural properties of amorphous silicon–germanium alloys in comparison with the standard case, that of a homogeneous random distribution of the atoms. In the present work we envisage the two-phase amorphous silicon–germanium model proposed by Goerigk and Williamson to interpret their anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering measurements; it consists on a mixture of Ge-rich and Ge-poor domains at the nanoscale. The microstructure of our structural models is analyzed by examining the macroscopic mass density, the X-ray diffraction intensity, the radial distribution functions, the bond lengths and the coordination numbers within the first coordination shell of Si and Ge atoms.

Research Highlights
► The microstructure of atomistic models of amorphous silicon-germanium alloys is analysed.
► Two-phase networks with compositional nanoheterogeneities, and homogeneous onephase models are generated.
► The short-range topological disorder in these alloys is practically insensitive to the presence of compositional nanoheterogeneities.
► The SAXS enhances in presence of compositional nanoheterogeneities.