Deposition of Germanium Films by Sputtering

Both n and p-type germanium films were deposited epitaxially by using asymmetric a-c sputtering. The quality of the films was found to be strongly dependent on the substrate temperature and the voltages during both the cleaning and the sputtering cycles. It was demonstrated that when the sputtering parameters were properly adjusted, the films deposited from n-type source material showed n-type conductivity, even when they were polycrystalline, indicating that the p-type conductivity observed previously in sputtered films was primarily due to impurities. Further, epitaxial films of the same type and conductivity and of approximately the same carrier concentration as the source material were deposited with substrate temperatures as low as 350° C. © 1965, The Electrochemical Society, Inc. All rights reserved.