The effect of gas temperature on the growth of InP by atomspheric pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition using trimethyl indium and PH3 sources

Abstract

The growth of InP by atmospheric pressure Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition using trimethyl indium (TMIn) and PH3 sources is demonstrated. No evidence was found to suggest depletion of TMIn due to a TMIn-PH3 reaction in the gas phase. It was found, however, that TMIn can, under certain growth conditions, be significantly depleted due to premature gas phase pyrolysis. Decreasing the gas temperature by either increasing the total flow rate or by using a lower thermal conductivity gas was found to decrease the amount of TMIn gas phase pyrolysis and increase the growth rate. It was also found that as the gas becomes cooler and the reactants are used more efficiently in the epitaxial growth, the film morphology improves significantly to a point at which smooth, specular surfaces can be routinely grown.