A novel reactor concept for multiwafer growth of III–V semiconductors

Abstract

Since the invention of the Planetary Reactors ® a reliable tool for mass production of various III–V compounds has existed. These reactors have proven to grow extremely uniform films together with a highly efficient utilization of the precursors. Now a new generation of Planetary Reactors ® is introduced: the so-called G3 systems. Their main features are: an inductive heating system with extremely low thermal mass for precise and fast heating, high flexibility in the reactor size (15×2″, 35×2″ to 9×4″ wafers per load so far, further enlargement possible) and the option to use a fully automated cassette-to-cassette wafer loading system. The benefits of this new design are very short cycle times, extreme run-to-run stability and even further reduced cost of ownership. The performance of this reactor will be discussed in conjunction with the well established AIX 2400 reactor with a set up of 15×2″ or 5×4″ wafer. Uniformity of thickness, luminescence intensity and composition of the most important III–V compounds such as GaInP, GaInAsP and AlGaInP are shown.