A MERGED HYDRIDE/METALORGANIC VPE REACTOR FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES

EPITAXX PROPOSES TO MERGE THE BEST ASPECTS OF HYDRIDE VAPOR PHASE EPITAXY (VPE) AND METALORGANIC CHEICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (MOCVD) INTO ONE TECHNIQUE TO FABRICATE SUPERIOR INGAASP/INP DETECTORS, LASERS AND LEDS. THE HYDRIDE VPE TECHNIQUES IS A PROVEN GROWTH TECHNIQUE FOR INGAAS DETECTORS AND 1300 NM INGAAS LASERS AND LEDS. HOWEVER, THE EQUIPMENT IS USUALLY BUILT ON A "LABORATORY" BASIS AND HAS NOT INCLUDED IMPROVEMENTS INCORPORATED INTO MOCVD SYSTEMS SOLD BY SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT FIRMS OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS. THESE INCLUDE SUPERIOR GAS HANDLING FOR ABRUPT INTERFACES, BETTER THICKNESS/COMPOSITIONAL CONTROL AND 2" AND 3" SUBSTRATE CAPABILITY. IN PHASE I EPITAXX WILL PROCURE MOCVD WAFERS OF IN(.53)GA(.47)AS/INP FROM SEVERAL RESEARCH AND COMMERCIAL SOURCES (INCLUDING EMCORE) AND COMPARE THE JUNCTION ABRUPTNESS, UNIFORMITY AND PURITY WITH ITS OWN HYDRIDE VPE MATERIAL. THE WAFERS WILL THEN UNDERGO DETECTOR FABRICATION IN THE SAME PROCESS AND DEVICE RESULTS WILL BE COMPARED. A DESIGN FOR AN OPTIMIZED REACTOR WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE PHASE II PROPOSAL. PHASE II WOULD INVOLVE CONSTRUCTION OF THE REACTOR (WHICH WOULD INCLUDE MOCVD SOURCES, 3" WAFER CAPACITY WITH + OR - 5% UNIFORMITY, ABRUPT (<15A) INTERFACES) AND DEMONSTRATION OF 1300 AND 1550 NM LASERS, PIN DETECTORS AND INGAAS AVALANCHE PHOTODIODES. PROF. S. R. FORREST (USC) WILL CONSULT.