Deposition of microcrystalline Ge films using hot-wire technique without toxic gases

To investigate the deposition of Ge films without toxic gas such as germane, we have studied the Ge films prepared by the hot-wire technique, which utilize the reaction between a Ge target and hydrogen atoms generated by the hot-wire decomposition of H2 gas. The films deposited on Si substrate were microcrystalline Ge films and the mean crystallite size of the films increased from 13.3 to 24.8 nm with increasing the substrate temperature from 300 to 500 °C. Moreover, the deposition rate of Ge films deposited on Si substrate was higher than that of Ge films deposited on Corning 1737 substrate. It was found that the substrate temperature and the kind of substrate are key parameters for the preparation of microcrystalline Ge films by the hot-wire technique.