METALORGANIC MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY

METALORGANIC MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY (MOMBE) IS A SEMICONDUCTOR GROWTH TECHNIQUE THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR COMBINING THE BEST FEATURES OF MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY WITH THOSE OF ORGANOMETALLIC VAPOR PHASE EPITAXY (OMVPE). A MAJOR PROBLEM HINDERING DEVELOPMENT OF MOMBE TECHNIQUES FOR GROWING GROUP III/V SEMICONDUCTORS IS THE AVAILABILITY OF APPROPRIATELY DESIGNED SOURCE REAGENTS THAT PERMIT EFFICIENT DECOMPOSITION IN THE REACTOR COUPLED WITH VOLATILITY AND PURITY THAT MAXIMIZE THE INHERENT BENEFITS OF THE PROCESS. ADDITIONALLY, LESS TOXIC REAGENTS ARE REQUIRED TO MINIMIZE THE DIFFICULT HANDLING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF A RESINE IN OMVPE. THE FEASIBILITY IS BEING INVESTIGATED OF DEVELOPING A PROGRAM THAT WILL FACILITATE SCREENING OF A GROUP OF NOVEL SOURCE REAGENT COMPOUNDS THATHOLD HIGH PROMISE FOR MOMBE. SOURCES FOR CARBON-FREE INCORPORATION OF ALUMINUM AND GALLIUM ARE BEING IDENTIFIED, SYNTHESIZED, AND THEN EVALUATED IN A MOMBE REACTOR. PRELIMINARY LOW PRESSURE PYROLYSES OF ARSENIC SOURCE REAGENTS ARE BEING PERFORMED. USING THE EXPERIMENTAL DATA, A THEORY TO ACCOUNT FOR THE KINETICS AND PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION FROM THE LOW PRESSURE PYROLYSIS OF ALKYLARSINES IS BEING DEVELOPED THAT WILL PERMIT THE PREDICTION OF OPTIMUM SOURCE REAGENTS. IN A LATER EFFORT, THE OPTIMUM ELEMENT SOURCE REAGENTS WOULD BE PREPARED AND ALUMINUM GALLIUM ARSENIDE DEVICES PREPARED AND TESTED.