This paper presents an empirical study of silicon germanium (SiGe) stressor stability with respect to misfit dislocation nucleation. The relevance of the experimental process parameter set for Si(1-x)Ge(x) selective epitaxy growth is validated by measuring the resultant p-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor device performances. Electrical performances of devices are correlated with SiGe material stability, in particular to misfit dislocation nucleation. A linear improvement of I(ON) with the recess depth is observed for the 20% Ge split, thus suggesting dislocation free devices. The highest on-state current improvements have been obtained for the 30 at.% Ge split. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.