Electronic and structural characteristics of Zr-incorporated Gd2O3 films on strained SiGe substrates

Zr-incorporated Gd(2)O(3) films were grown on various substrates as a function of Zr content. The extent of interfacial reactions was found to be critically dependent on both the incorporated Zr content and the substrate type. Specifically, the silicide layer was suppressed and the Gd(2)O(3) phase was changed to ZrO(2) on a Si substrate with increasing Zr content. Crystalline Gd(2)Ge(2)O(7) was grown on a Ge substrate, as the result of interfacial reactions between Gd-oxide and the Ge substrate. However, interfacial reactions were not affected by the amount of Zr incorporated. On the SiGe/Si substrate, reactions between Gd-oxide and Si could be controlled effectively by the incorporation of Zr, while the extent of reactions with Ge was significantly enhanced as the Zr content increased. The formation of an interfacial layer between the film and the SiGe substrate resulted in a textured crystalline growth.