Scalable and Fast Epitaxy of High Quality, Single Crystal ZnSe Substrates

Zinc selenide (ZnSe) is a semiconductor of interest for mid-infrared wavelength detection. To date, most ZnSe devices have been fabricated on gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrates, which resulted in many defects from lattice mismatch. Development of a pure, standalone, large-area ZnSe substrate is thus crucial to eliminating defects and advancing ZnSe. Mainstream, in partnership with Pennsylvania State University Applied Research Laboratory, proposes a new deposition method to rapidly grow large area, high purity single crystal ZnSe substrates. The new growth method will solve the defects generated in other growth methods to achieve a high quality ZnSe substrate for opto-electronic devices and applications. We will employ simulation techniques to optimize the process and maximize crystal quality to meet size, quality, and flatness requirements. We also anticipate a much lower etch pit density and twin boundary concentration found in the current state of the art.