Molecular beam epitaxy growth of Si/SiGe bound-to-continuum quantum cascade structures for THz emission

A Si/SiGe bound-to-continuum quantum cascade design for THz emission was grown using solid-source molecular beam epitaxy on Si0.8Ge0.2 virtual substrates. The growth parameters were carefully studied and several samples with different boron doping concentrations were grown at optimized conditions. Extensive material characterizations revealed a high crystalline quality of the grown structures with an excellent growth control. Layer undulations resulting from a nonuniform strain field, introduced by high doping concentration, were observed. The device characterizations suggested that a modification on the design was needed in order to enhance the THz emission.