Electronic structure of the Ge/Si(105) hetero-interface

Abstract

Thin Ge layers deposited on Si(105) form a stable single-domain film structure with large terraces and rebonded-step surface termination, thus realizing an extended and ordered Ge/Si planar hetero-junction. At the coverage of four Ge monolayers angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals the presence of two-dimensional surface and film bands displaying energy-momentum dispersion compatible with the 5x4 periodicity of the system. The good agreement between experiment and first-principles electronic structure calculations confirms the validity of the rebonded-step structural model. The direct observation of surface features within 1 eV below the valence band maximum corroborates previously reported analysis of the electronic and optical behavior of the Ge/Si hetero-interface.