Silicon, Germanium, and Their Alloys : Growth, Defects, Impurities, and Nanocrystals

Despite the vast knowledge accumulated on silicon, germanium, and their alloys, these materials still demand research, eminently in view of the improvement of knowledge on silicon?germanium alloys and the potentialities of silicon as a substrate for high-efficiency solar cells and for compound semiconductors and the ongoing development of nanodevices based on nanowires and nanodots.

covers the entire spectrum of R&D activities in silicon, germanium, and their alloys, presenting the latest achievements in the field of crystal growth, point defects, extended defects, and impurities of silicon and germanium nanocrystals.

World-recognized experts are the authors of the book?s chapters, which span bulk, thin film, and nanostructured materials growth and characterization problems, theoretical modeling, crystal defects, diffusion, and issues of key applicative value, including chemical etching as a defect delineation technique, the spectroscopic analysis of impurities, and the use of devices as tools for the measurement of materials quality.