Molecular beam epitaxy growth of PbSe on Si (211) using a ZnTe buffer layer

The authors report the results of successful growth of single crystalline PbSe on Si ( 211) substrates with ZnTe as a buffer layer by molecular beam epitaxy. Single crystalline PbSe with ( 511) orientation was achieved on ZnTe/Si ( 211), as evidenced by RHEED patterns indicative of 2 dimensional (2D) growth, x ray diffraction rocking curves with a full width at half maximum as low as 153 arc sec and mobility as large as 1: 1 x 10(4)cm(2)V(-1)s(-1) at 77 K. Cross hatch patterns were found on the PbSe( 511) surface in Nomarski filtered microscope images suggesting the presence of a surface thermal strain relaxation mechanism, which was confirmed by Fourier transformed high resolution transmission electron microscope images. (C) 2011 American Vacuum Society. [DOI: 10.1116/1.3609786]