MBE-grown Si and Si(1-x)Ge(x) quantum dots embedded within epitaxial Gd2O3 on Si(111) substrate for floating gate memory device.

Si and Si(1-x)Ge(x) quantum dots embedded within epitaxial Gd2O3 grown by molecular beam epitaxy have been studied for application in floating gate memory devices. The effect of interface traps and the role of quantum dots on the memory properties have been studied using frequency-dependent capacitance-voltage and conductance-voltage measurements. Multilayer quantum dot memory comprising four and five layers of Si quantum dots exhibits a superior memory window to that of single-layer quantum dot memory devices. It has also been observed that single-layer Si(1-x)Ge(x) quantum dots show better memory characteristics than single-layer Si quantum dots.

Encapsulated solid phase epitaxy of a Ge quantum well embedded in an epitaxial rare earth oxide.

An efficient method based on molecular beam epitaxy has been developed to integrate an epitaxial Ge quantum well buried into a single crystalline rare earth oxide. The monolithic heterostructure comprised of Gd2O3-Ge-Gd2O3 grown on an Si substrate exhibits excellent crystalline quality with atomically sharp interfaces. This heterostructure with unique structural quality could be used for novel nanoelectronic applications in quantum-effect devices such as nanoscale transistors with a high mobility channel, resonant tunneling diode/transistors, etc. A phenomenological model has been proposed to explain the epitaxial growth process of the Ge layer under oxide encapsulation using a solid source molecular beam epitaxy technique.