A structure for conducting carriers and method for forming is described incorporating a single crystal substrate of Si or SiGe having an upper surface in the and a psuedomorphic or epitaxial layer of SiGe having a concentration of Ge different than the substrate whereby the psedomorphic layer is under strain. A method for forming semiconductor epitaxial layers is described incorporating the step of forming a psuedomorphic or epitaxial layer in a rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition (RTCVD) tool by increasing the temperature in the tool to about 600° C. and introducing both a Si containing gas and a Ge containing gas. A method for chemically preparing a substrate for epitaxial deposition is described including the steps of immersing a substrate in a series of baths containing ozone, dilute HF, deionized water, HCL acid and deionized water, respectively, followed by drying the substrate in an inert atmosphere to obtain a substrate surface free of impurities and with a root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of less than 0.1 run.