Modifications of band gap in Si/Ge multilayers through vacuum annealing
In the present paper, important experimental findings and their impact on physical properties of Si/Ge systems are presented with the focus on structural and electronic properties investigations also covering band gap engineering. The use of synchrotron radiation based valence band photoemission spectroscopy technique has been demonstrated which provides the variation in bandgap values as a function of annealing on [Si/Ge]{sub x10} multilayers structure. For this purpose, the required VB offsets are obtained by considering the corresponding VB maximum of as prepared sample as a reference. The bandgap values thus obtained show a gradually decreasing pattern with increasing temperature, which is discussed in terms of the effect of various factors such as: (i) quantum confinement effect normally observed in confined systems (ii) change in the annealing induced intermixing leading to the formation of SiGe alloy and (iii) roughness at the surface/interface.