Advanced Gas Injector for MOCVD Reactor

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of III-V semiconductor thin films will be improved through the development and application of unique gas injection hardware. The innovative hardware utilizes the vertical showerhead-type reactor configuration. It will enable for the first time detailed and active control over the transport of reactants to the surface of the substrate wafer, including the distribution of both flow rate and composition. This control will foster low cost/high yield reactor scale-up to larger diameter wafers. The injector can also enable effective control actions to realize the potential of "Intelligent Processing of Materials" (IPM). The new hardware can be retrofit into existing MOCVD reactors. The Phase I project will test a simplified version of the injector in an MOCVD reactor to demonstrate that the user can exert firm control over reactant transport and the cause-and-effect relationship for growth of the thin film. The Phase I injector design will be supported by detailed computational modeling of the fluid flow and heat/mass transfer within the reactor. In this way, the injector can be designed to complement, and perhaps overcome, the global transport characteristics of the reactor. Comparison of experimental and modeling results will put us in in an excellent position at the start of Phase II to design a prototype injector with full capabilities.