The realisation of III-V quantum cascade lasers has initiated a strong interest in developing a Si/SiGe-based quantum cascade laser over the last 3 years. Most efforts were focused on the growth of strain-balanced Si/SiGe superlattices on strain-relaxed SiGe virtual substrates. This paper discusses the progress so far and addresses some of the material issues related to the epitaxy of Si/SiGe quantum cascade structures, including strain-stress balance and production of strain-relaxed SiGe virtual substrates. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.