Growth Method of Germanium

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Summary: Stanford researchers have recently patented an improved strain relaxation growth method for Silicon-Germanium (SiGe) on Si material systems. This approach enables the growth of SiGe quantum wells on silicon substrates for various optical, electrical, and spintronic devices applications. The invention enables the integration of the optical absorption device with CMOS chips. This presented growth method will remove the critical thickness limitation, reduce the thickness of buffer layers, improve the surface morphology, and be used in while providing efficient Ge or SiGe quantum well confinement.     Applications: Optical network Optical interconnects Electronic devices Optical devices Spintronic devices   Advantages: Little or no thickness limitation Prevents cracking and surface roughening Cost efficient - can be fabricated by conventional process methods used for standard SiGe layer Provides the capability to integrate optical devices with CMOS chips Avoids high cost and fragility issues associated with thick buffer layers due to 4% lattice mismatch between Ge and Si