Hybrid molecular beam epitaxy of germanium-based oxides
Abstract
Germanium-based oxides such as rutile GeO2 are garnering attention owing to their wide band gaps and the prospects of ambipolar doping for application in high-power devices. Here, we present the use of germanium tetraisopropoxide (GTIP), a metal-organic chemical precursor, as a source of germanium for the demonstration of hybrid molecular beam epitaxy for germanium-containing compounds. We use Sn1-xGexO2 and SrSn1-xGexO3 as model systems to demonstrate our synthesis method. A combination of high-resolution X-ray diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the successful growth of epitaxial rutile Sn1-xGexO2 on TiO2(001) substrates up to x = 0.54 and coherent perovskite SrSn1-xGexO3 on GdScO3(110) substrates up to x = 0.16. Characterization and first-principles calculations corroborate that germanium occupies the tin site, as opposed to the strontium site. These findings confirm the viability of the GTIP precursor for the growth of germanium-containing oxides by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy, thus providing a promising route to high-quality perovskite germanate films.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Oct 04, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1038/s43246-022-00290-y
Entities
People
- Anderson Janotti
- Bethany E. Matthews
- Bharat Jalan
- Dooyong Lee
- Fengdeng Liu
- Iflah Laraib
- Scott A. Chambers
- Steven R Spurgeon
- Tristan K. Truttmann
Organizations
- United States Air Force
- United States Department of Energy