The study of mechanical properties has gained much attention in recent days as the accurate measurement of the mechanical characterizations of the germanium thin films is required to use them as structural and functional elements in device fabrication. Germanium is an interesting material for high efficiency solar cell applications.

            Germanium epilayers were deposited by horizontal home-made metal organic chemical vapor phase epitaxy equipment, using isobutyl-germane as source and hydrogen as carrier gas. The samples were grown at different temperatures of 650, 600 and 550 ˚C for 15 minutes and at a low pressure of 60 mbar. The removal of native oxide from the Ge substrate prior to the growth was done with HCl wet chemical etching and by performing a thermal annealing of the substrate at 650ºC for 5 minutes.

The deposited epilayers were characterized by SPM coupled Hysitron TI950 Triboindenter to study the mechanical properties.The mechanical deformation behaviour has been investigated by nanoindentation technique using Berkovich and Vickers indentersto study the properties such as hardness and elastic modulus.The occurrence of elbow phenomenon and their elasto-plastic properties appears to be related to sudden propagation of threading dislocation by pre-existing defects in the materials with the indentation load.

References

1.      D.J. Oliver, J.E. Bradby, J.S. Williams, Journal of Applied Physics, 101, p. 043524, (2007)

2.      G. Timò, C. Flores, R. Campesato, Cryst. Res. Technol. 40, (2005),pp. 1043-1047.

3.      V.M. Andreev, V.P. Khovostikov, N.A. Kalyuzhnyi, S.S. Titkov, O.A. Khvostikova, M.Z. Shvarts,  Semiconductors 38, (2004), pp. 355-359.

4.    M. Bosi and G. Attolini, Progress in Crystal Growth and Characterization of Materials 56, pp. 146-174, (2010).

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