title: Patterning-induced strain relief in single lithographic SiGe nanostructures studied by nanobeam x-ray diffraction.
abstract: The continued downscaling in SiGe heterostructures is approaching the point at which lateral confinement leads to a uniaxial strain state, giving high enhancements of the charge carrier mobility. Investigation of the strain relaxation as induced by the patterning of a continuous SiGe layer is thus of scientific and technological importance. In the present work, the strain in single lithographically defined low-dimensional SiGe structures has been directly mapped via nanobeam x-ray diffraction. We found that the nanopatterning is able to induce an anisotropic strain relaxation, leading to a conversion of the strain state from biaxial to uniaxial. Its origin is fully compatible with a pure elastic deformation of the crystal lattice without involving plastic relaxation by injection of misfit dislocations.
authors.affiliation: CNISM and L-NESS, Dipartimento di Fisica del Politecnico di Milano, Polo Regionale di Como, via Anzani 42, I-22100 Como, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chrastina
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Vanacore
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bollani
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boye
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schöder
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burghammer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sordan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Isella
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tagliaferri