Patent ID: 8530339

Claim:
A method, comprising: providing a substrate, wherein said substrate comprises a substrate surface; introducing said substrate into a reaction chamber, wherein said reaction chamber is configured to apply a layer onto said substrate surface by chemical vapor deposition (CVD); introducing in said reaction chamber a gas mixture comprising a germanium precursor gas and a non-reactive carrier gas, wherein said germanium precursor gas comprises a higher order germane precursor compared to GeH 4 ; and depositing by CVD a continuous germanium layer, wherein said continuous germanium layer overlies and is in contact with said substrate surface, and wherein said depositing by CVD is performed at a deposition temperature between 275° C. and 500° C., and wherein a partial pressure of said germanium precursor gas in said gas mixture is at least 20 mTorr when said deposition temperature is between 275° C. and 285° C., and at least 10 mTorr when said deposition temperature is between 285° C. and 500° C.