Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition System Research Articles

Memristors with Monolayer Graphene Electrodes Grown Directly on Sapphire Wafers.

The development of the memristor has generated significant interest due to its non-volatility, simple structure, and low power consumption. Memristors based on graphene offer atomic monolayer thickness, flexibility, and uniformity and have attracted attention as a promising alternative to contemporary field-effect transistor (FET) technology in applications such as logic and memory devices, achieving higher integration density and lower power consumption. The use of graphene as electrodes in memristors could also increase robustness against degradation mechanisms, including oxygen vacancy diffusion to the electrode and unwanted metal ion diffusion. However, to realize this technological transformation, it is necessary to establish a scalable, robust, and cost-effective device fabrication process. Here we report the direct growth of high-quality monolayer graphene on sapphire wafers in a mass-producible, contamination-free, and transfer-free manner, using a commercially available metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system. By taking advantage of this approach, graphene-electrode based memristors are developed, and all the processes used in the device fabrication incorporating graphene electrodes can be performed at wafer scale. The graphene electrode-based memristor demonstrates promising characteristics in terms of endurance, retention, and ON/OFF ratio. This work presents a possible and viable route to achieving robust graphene-based memristors in a commercially and technologically sustainable manner, paving the way for the realization of more powerful and compact integrated graphene electronics in the future.

Laser-induced transverse voltage effect in c-axis inclined La x Sr1−x TiO3 thin films prepared by MOCVD

Light and thermal detectors based on the laser-induced transverse voltage (LITV) effect have garnered significant interest for their rapid and broad spectral response. In this study, we prepared the La-doped SrTiO3 (STO) epitaxial thin films on the 12° inclined single crystal LaAlO3 (LAO) (100) substrates using our home-designed metal–organic chemical vapor deposition system. Under the illumination of a 248 nm laser, the LITV signals of La x Sr1−x TiO3 films were observed and showed dependence on the La doping level, which can be explained by the changes in the light absorption coefficient, thermal conductivity, and optical penetration depth. The optimized LITV signal was observed with a peak voltage of 23.25 V and a decay time of 106 ns under the laser power density of 1.0 mJ mm−2. The high peak voltage and fast response time of La x Sr1−x TiO3 show great potential in the field of light and thermal detection.

High-Performance ε-Ga2O3 Solar-Blind Photodetectors Grown by MOCVD with Post-Thermal Annealing

High-temperature annealing has been regarded as an effective technology to improve the performance of Ga2O3-based solar-blind photodetectors (SBPDs). However, as a metastable phase, ε-Ga2O3 thin film may undergo phase transformation during post-annealing. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the effect of the phase transition and the defect formation or desorption on the performance of photodetectors during post-annealing. In this work, the ε-Ga2O3 thin films were grown on c-plane sapphire with a two-step method, carried out in a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system, and the ε-Ga2O3 metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM)-type SBPDs were fabricated. The effects of post-annealing on ε-Ga2O3 MSM SBPDs were investigated. As a metastable phase, ε-Ga2O3 thin film undergoes phase transition when the annealing temperature is higher than 700 °C. As result, the decreased crystal quality makes an SBPD with high dark current and long response time. In contrast, low-temperature annealing at 640 °C, which is the same as the growth temperature, reduces the oxygen-related defects, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement, while the good crystal quality is maintained. The performance of the SBPD with the post-annealing temperature of 640 °C is overall improved greatly compared with the ones fabricated on the other films. It shows the low dark current of 0.069 pA at 10 V, a rejection ratio (Rpeak/R400) of 2.4 × 104 (Rpeak = 230 nm), a higher photo-to-dark current ratio (PDCR) of 3 × 105, and a better time-dependent photoresponse. These results indicate that, while maintaining no phase transition, post-annealing is an effective method to eliminate point defects such as oxygen vacancies in ε-Ga2O3 thin films and improve the performance of SBPDs.

Wafer-scale MOCVD grown WS2 with normally off transistor behavior and its general application on different amorphous substrates

In this study, we investigated various approaches to manipulate the flake density, size, and thickness of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides by independently tuning the precursors and process conditions of the metal–organic chemical vapor deposition system. Normally off device characteristics were realized for both the as-grown and transferred cases. Furthermore, we demonstrated the versatility of our growth method by applying it to several commonly used gate dielectric materials, such as SiO2, SiNx, and AlOx.

Design Optimization of Gas Distribution System for Large‐Scale Capacity GaAs‐MOCVD

AbstractIn the flexible photovoltaic (PV) industry, increment of the metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) deposition zone is crucial to reducing the cost of ownership and increasing the power conversion efficiency (PCE). This implies that the larger closed coupled showerhead (CCS) of MOCVD system should be used in the manufacture of flexible gallium arsenide (GaAs) PV thin‐film solar cells. Currently, Aixtron Crius II is the largest commercial CCS reactor for GaAs deposition with 55 × 2 inches circular wafers. As the size of the carrier and showerhead increases, the deposition uniformity and gas flow stability become more difficult to control. To address these issues, previous studies have investigated the effects of geometric and process parameters of MOCVD on the vertical process gas inlet, with either a rotating carrier model represented by Veeco using high‐speed rotating carrier (Turbo Disc), and Aixtron using low‐speed rotating planetary carrier, or a horizontal process gas injector with a rotating carrier. However, these efforts have limited further capacity scale‐up. In this study, numerical simulations and fluid visualization experiments are conducted, based on previous research on thermal uniformity, for design optimization of a gas distribution system in a large square GaAs‐MOCVD reactor. The achieved reactor capacity is 36 × 4 inches square wafers in one process cycle, and the optimal average deposition rate and deposition uniformity of GaAs film are ≈0.430 µm min−1 and 0.93%, respectively.

Ultrathin Flexible Ge Solar Cells for Lattice‐Matched Thin‐Film InGaP/(In)GaAs/Ge Tandem Solar Cells

Ultrathin Ge single‐junction (1J) solar cells transferred onto a flexible substrate are envisioned to open up a novel lattice‐matched thin‐film InGaP/(In)GaAs/Ge tandem solar cell for enabling highly efficient, low‐cost, and light‐weight flexible devices. The ultrathin Ge 1J solar cell structures are epitaxially grown onto a GaAs substrate via a low‐pressure metal–organic chemical vapor deposition system using an isobutylgermane metalorganic source as a Ge precursor. A simple and fast epitaxial lift‐off method allows the epi structures to transfer onto the flexible substrates, by which 2 inch wafer‐scale flexible ultrathin Ge 1J solar cells with the mechanical stability under bending test (R = 12.5 mm) are fabricated. Their maximum power conversion efficiency (5.40%) is achieved with the optimum thickness of Ge p‐n junction as well as a delta‐doping technique that utilizes the multiple cycles of Ga‐dopant injection and halt during the growth of thick p‐Ge base layer. The power‐to‐weight ratio value of the ultrathin Ge 1J solar cells is 56.65 times higher than that of bulk‐type Ge solar cells, holding great potential to be used for the power sources of unmanned aerial vehicles as well as the portable and wearable devices.

Wafer-scale heteroepitaxy GaN film free of high-density dislocation region with hexagonal 3D serpentine mask

GaN-based III-Nitride compound semiconductors are fundamental materials for high-performance optoelectronic and electronic devices. Low-defect-density substrate has been a major bottleneck in achieving high internal quantum efficiency and high breakdown voltage in those devices. However, a large-scale and uniform low dislocation density GaN film is still hard to obtain on foreign substrates, which is the mainstream economical method in scientific research and industrial production. Here, we present a 3D serpentine mask method of growing high-quality GaN film on foreign substrates without high dislocation density (HDD) areas by designing both sectional and planar shapes of stacked masks. The serpentine channel in the cross-section mechanically blocks the extended dislocations and the hexagonal planar pattern reduces the dimension of coalescence geometry. A wafer-scale GaN epilayer, free of HDD zone, with the overall threading dislocation density of 1.7 × 107 cm−2 estimated by plan-view cathode luminescence, is achieved in the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition system. Then, an array of light-emitting diodes based on this substrate with low forward voltages and high light output powers are fabricated, which introduces a practical method to provide high-quality GaN films for high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Growth rate control and phase diagram of wafer-scale Ga2O3 films by MOCVD

The potential of gallium oxide (Ga2O3) as a promising semiconductor for advanced electronics and optoelectronics has been propelled by its wide bandgap, high breakdown voltage tolerance, and excellent chemical and thermal stability. To develop it into an industrial-level application, extensive research needs to be conducted to advance wafer-scale and high-quality epitaxy growth techniques. In this work, a close-coupled showerhead (CCS) metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system was used to grow wafer-scale Ga2O3 films. Through a detailed examination of growth parameters including substrate temperature, oxygen flow rate, precursor proportion, and chamber pressure, as well as their effect on film crystallinity, surface morphology, and optical properties, a comprehensive growth phase diagram and control over the growth rate of 2-inch Ga2O3 thin films were obtained at a wafer-scale. These findings suggest that the CCS-MOCVD system presents a competitive avenue for future industrial high-speed fabrication of single-phase Ga2O3 films.

Scalable growth of atomically thin MoS2 layers in a conventional MOCVD system using molybdenum dichloride dioxide as the molybdenum source

To bring atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) to practical application, a highly reproducible process to grow them over a large scale is indispensable. Here, we develop a carbon-free reproducible route for the scalable growth of high-quality monolayer MoS2 by selecting molybdenum dichloride dioxide (MoO2Cl2) as the Mo source and integrating the precursor with a standard low-pressure cold-wall metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system. Specifically, combined with H2S as the sulfur source and using catalytic Dragontrail glass (DT-glass) as the main substrate, we investigate the effect of MoO2Cl2 flux, temperature, and deposition time on the growth, confirming MoO2Cl2 with reasonably high vapor pressure is well compatible with the MOCVD system that enables precise control of sources for uniform nucleation and growth of MoS2 over a large area. We successfully demonstrate the growth of carbon-free MoS2 monolayers on DT-glass with decent crystalline, optical, and electrical properties. Additionally, the initial attempts also manifest that the proposed strategy could be generalized for growing ultrathin MoS2 on other technologically important substrates, such as SiO2/Si and quartz, exhibiting superior optical quality and wafer-scale uniformity. This work provides a new avenue for the large-scale production of high-quality MoS2 monolayers and facilitates their use in practical applications.

Chemical reaction-mass transport model of Ga2O3 grown by TEGa in MOCVD and an intelligent system

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) is rationally expected to have a wide range of applications prospects in power electronics, solar-blind UV detectors, gas detectors, and other fields. Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is a key technology for achieving high-quality and large-scale film growth, but with complex fluid fields, temperature fields, component distribution, and chemical reaction processes, the process is akin to a black box. In this study, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach and a complete reaction mechanism were used to model the chemical reaction and mass transport for gallium oxide film growth based on a vertical rotating disc reactor (RDR) MOCVD system. The effect of temperature on film growth was explored and analyzed. It was found that the growth temperature can be divided into four regions, respectively controlled by thermal flow field, reaction rate, component transport, and parasitic reaction, and there is a competitive relationship between them. In the component transport region, the influence of different process parameters such as pressure, flow rate, and rotational speed on the growth was investigated. The regulation of film uniformity is achieved by the coupled regulation of 5 pairs of MO source inlets and multiple process parameters. Combined with artificial intelligence techniques, an intelligent system for realizing flow field visualization, growth result prediction, process parameter optimization, and abnormal result tracking was proposed for the first time. It can provide systematic guidance for film growth.

High‐Performance Thin‐Film VCSELs Integrated with a Copper‐Plated Heatsink

AbstractHigh‐performance continuous‐wave (CW) vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting lasers (VCSELs) rely on efficient thermal management for which top‐emitting 930 nm thin‐film VCSELs are integrated with a copper‐plated heatsink by using a double‐transfer technique, exhibiting the low‐power consumption, high‐power, and temperature‐stable VCSEL operation. In this study, the top‐emitting 930 nm thin‐film VCSEL structures, including the highly n‐doped GaAs ohmic and lattice‐matched InGaP etch‐stop layers, are epitaxially grown via a low‐pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP‐MOCVD) system. The electrical and optical properties of the substrate‐removal thin‐film VCSELs are investigated under CW operation, compared to those of the bulk‐type VCSELs onto the n‐GaAs substrates. The differential series resistance (85.92 Ω) of the thin‐film VCSEL is 9.16% lower than 94.59 Ω of the bulk‐type VCSEL onto the n‐GaAs substrates. The thermal resistance (607 K W−1) of the thin‐film VCSEL is 46.33% lower than 1131 K W−1of the bulk‐type VCSEL, by which the maximum peak power (11.70 mW) of the thin‐film VCSEL at 24 mA is 12.07% higher than 10.44 mW of the bulk‐type VCSEL at 22.40 mA under room temperature (25 °C).

Driving up the quality of metal organic chemical vapor deposition-grown epitaxial wafers for highly innovative photonic applications

Quantum cascade lasers (QCL) and extended InGaAs photodetectors (ex-PDs) (operating in regime 1.9–2.6 µm wavelength) are very attractive materials for use in sophisticated photonics and microelectronics such as optical recording, scanners, laser spectroscopy, thermal or gas sensing. Once a laboratory curiosity, QCLs and ex-PDs are now becoming commercially available products, shaping exciting applications. In this work, we present the intricacies and challenges of the development and industrial production of Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD)-grown QCL and ex-PD structures as well as demonstrate their viability for large-scale manufacturing.Different types of epitaxial structures were grown using a multi-wafer production MOCVD system, in 12 × 3″ wafer configuration per growth run. Structural and electrical properties of epitaxial layers were carefully examined.MOCVD growing of QCL and ex-PD structures is a very demanding process. MOCVD production reactor enables development of highly complicated chemical reactions, however, as gas residence is much longer than in small R&D systems, the hetero-interfaces of InGaAs/InAlAs are inevitably graded, which negatively impacts optical and electrical parameters of QCL devices. In addition, QCL structure requires the exact layer thickness as well as absolute precision and repeatability when developing strained InAlAs and InGaAs epi‑layers. In the case of ex-PDs fabrication, the crucial thing is to develop a specially designed and graded buffer layer, and to avoid numerous misfit defects and anomalies in dark current. We obtained high crystallographic quality and repeatability of the epi‑layers, which resulted in QCL high-performance continuous-wave operation and fabrication of ex-PDs with low dark current density (less than 1 × 10−4 A/cm2 at -100 mV/room temperature (RT)) achieving results consistent with Rule07 and higher quantum efficiency.

Insights into the Synthesis Mechanisms of Ag-Cu3P-GaP Multicomponent Nanoparticles.

Metal-semiconductor nanoparticle heterostructures are exciting materials for photocatalytic applications. Phase and facet engineering are critical for designing highly efficient catalysts. Therefore, understanding processes occurring during the nanostructure synthesis is crucial to gain control over properties such as the surface and interface facets' orientations, morphology, and crystal structure. However, the characterization of nanostructures after the synthesis makes clarifying their formation mechanisms nontrivial and sometimes even impossible. In this study, we used an environmental transmission electron microscope with an integrated metal-organic chemical vapor deposition system to enlighten fundamental dynamic processes during the Ag-Cu3P-GaP nanoparticle synthesis using Ag-Cu3P seed particles. Our results reveal that the GaP phase nucleated at the Cu3P surface, and growth proceeded via a topotactic reaction involving counter-diffusion of Cu+ and Ga3+ cations. After the initial GaP growth steps, the Ag and Cu3P phases formed specific interfaces with the GaP growth front. GaP growth proceeded by a similar mechanism observed for the nucleation involving the diffusion of Cu atoms through/along the Ag phase toward other regions, followed by the redeposition of Cu3P at a specific Cu3P crystal facet, not in contact with the GaP phase. The Ag phase was essential for this process by acting as a medium enabling the efficient transport of Cu atoms away from and, simultaneously, Ga atoms toward the GaP-Cu3P interface. This study shows that enlightening fundamental processes is critical for progress in synthesizing phase- and facet-engineered multicomponent nanoparticles with tailored properties for specific applications, including catalysis.

Tungsten Oxide Mediated Quasi-van der Waals Epitaxy of WS2 on Sapphire.

Conventional epitaxy plays a crucial role in current state-of-the art semiconductor technology, as it provides a path for accurate control at the atomic scale of thin films and nanostructures, to be used as the building blocks in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, sensors, etc. Four decades ago, the terms "van der Waals" (vdW) and "quasi-vdW (Q-vdW) epitaxy" were coined to explain the oriented growth of vdW layers on 2D and 3D substrates, respectively. The major difference with conventional epitaxy is the weaker interaction between the epi-layer and the epi-substrates. Indeed, research on Q-vdW epitaxial growth of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) has been intense, with oriented growth of atomically thin semiconductors on sapphire being one of the most studied systems. Nonetheless, there are some striking and not yet understood differences in the literature regarding the orientation registry between the epi-layers and epi-substrate and the interface chemistry. Here we study the growth of WS2 via a sequential exposure of the metal and the chalcogen precursors in a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system, introducing a metal-seeding step prior to the growth. The ability to control the delivery of the precursor made it possible to study the formation of a continuous and apparently ordered WO3 mono- or few-layer at the surface of a c-plane sapphire. Such an interfacial layer is shown to strongly influence the subsequent quasi-vdW epitaxial growth of the atomically thin semiconductor layers on sapphire. Hence, here we elucidate an epitaxial growth mechanism and demonstrate the robustness of the metal-seeding approach for the oriented formation of other TMDC layers. This work may enable the rational design of vdW and quasi-vdW epitaxial growth on different material systems.

Thin film transistor based on epitaxial Ta doped titanium dioxide film

Ta doped titanium dioxide (TiO2:Ta) films were deposited by a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement revealed the TiO2:Ta films with low Ta contents (≤4.0 at.%) to be epitaxial films of anatase phase. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement showed that Ta element only existed as Ta5+ in TiO2 lattice without other valence states. The electrical characteristics of the films could be modified through Ta doping. The minimum resistivity was obtained at Ta content of 2.0%. As Ta content increased, the carrier concentration increased from 4.9 × 1017 to 1.3 × 1019cm−3 while the Hall mobility decreased from 20.4 to 3.07 cm2V−1s−1. The deposited TiO2:Ta films all presented high visible transparency over 93.0%. A thin-film transistor based on 1.0% Ta-doped TiO2 film was fabricated, which exhibited high performances with a ION/IOFF ratio of 7.5 × 107, a subthreshold swing of 0.55 V/decade, and a saturation mobility of 3.4 cm2V−1s−1.

Efficient preparation of the inclined La1-xCaxMnO3 films with excellent light-induced transverse thermoelectric performance based on MOCVD process

The efficient preparation of inclined La1-xCaxMnO3 (LCMO) films with excellent light-induced transverse thermoelectric (LITT) performance on c-axis miscut 12° SrTiO3 single crystal substrates is achieved based on the home-designed metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system. The LCMO films with the thickness of 300 nm are prepared in 1 min, and the preparation efficiency reaches 300 nm/min. Under the radiation of 248 nm pulsed laser with the duration time of 28 ns, the voltage signal of LCMO films shows high sensitivity of 3.13 V/mJ and fast response time of 28 ns, superior to the LITT performance of the reported LCMO under the irradiation of pulsed laser with similar wavelength and duration time. The improvement of LITT performance originates from good electrical conductivity and biaxial texture. Additionally, under the radiation of 900 nm continuous laser, the obvious response voltages can be detected in the LCMO films, and the voltage amplitudes increase linearly with increasing laser power densities. These results demonstrate the application potential of the light detectors composed of LCMO films based on the efficient preparation of MOCVD, and may provide a good prospect for developing low-cost and high-performance light detectors based on the LITT effect.

Effects of UV-ozone treatment on the performance of deep-ultraviolet photodetectors based on ZnGa2O4 epilayers

ZnGa2O4 epilayers have been grown on sapphire using the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition system. However, there is a trade-off between high conductivity and large defect density (oxygen vacancies) with the growth time of the growth of ZnGa2O4 epilayers. The ultraviolet (UV)-ozone treatment on the ZnGa2O4 epilayer at 100 ° C was proposed to reduce the number of oxygen vacancies in ZnGa2O4. The effect of UV-ozone treatment on the performance of ZnGa2O4 metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector (PD) was evaluated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed a decrease in the number of oxygen vacancies after UV-ozone treatment of ZnGa2O4. The measured lattice parameter near the surface around 10 nm of untreated ZnGa2O4 was 8.3434 ± 0.0120 A˙ and increased slightly to 8.3775 ± 0.0083 A˙ after UV-ozone treatment due to the decrease in oxygen vacancies. The dark current (at 5 V) of ZnGa2O4 PD was significantly reduced from 251 to 20.2 pA before and after UV-ozone treatment; it resulted in a substantial one-order enhancement in the on/off ratio of the PDs from 2.7 × 105 and 2.15 × 106 after the UV-ozone treatment. Furthermore, the rejection ratio also improved between 240 and 470 nm from 35 to 84 after UV-ozone treatment. The relationship between photocurrent and light intensity and the improvement in raising and falling time also showed the reduced density of trap states by UV-ozone treatment. This indicates that UV-ozone treatment can enhance the characteristics of ZnGa2O4 PDs for UV sensing applications.

Enabling In Situ Studies of Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition in a Transmission Electron Microscope.

The world of environmental microscopy provides the possibility to study and analyze transformations and reactions during realistic conditions to understand the processes better. We report on the design and development of a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system integrated with an environmental transmission electron microscope intended for real-time investigations of crystal growth. We demonstrate methods for achieving a wide range of precisely controlled concentrations of precursor gas at the sample, as well as for calibrating the sample partial pressure using the pressure measured elsewhere in the microscope column. The influences of elevated temperature and reactive gas within the pole-piece gap are evaluated with respect to imaging and spectroscopy. We show that X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy can be strongly affected by temperatures beyond 500$^{\circ }$C, while the spatial resolution is largely unaffected by heat and microscope pressure for the relevant conditions. Finally, the influence of the electron beam on the investigated processes is discussed. With this work, we aim to provide crucial input in the development of advanced in situ electron microscopy systems for studies of complex reactions in real time under realistic conditions, for instance as used during formation of semiconductor crystals.

Demonstration of room-temperature continuous-wave operation of InGaAs/AlGaAs quantum well lasers directly grown on on-axis silicon (001)

Room-temperature continuous-wave operation of InGaAs/AlGaAs quantum well lasers directly grown on on-axis silicon (001) has been demonstrated. A 420 nm thick GaAs epilayer completely free of antiphase domains was initially grown on the silicon substrate in a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition system and the other epilayers, including four sets of five-period strained-layer superlattices and the laser-structural layers, were successively grown in a molecular beam epitaxy system. The lasers were prepared as broad-stripe Fabry–Pérot ones with a stripe width of 21.5 μm and a cavity length of 1 mm. Typically, the threshold current and the corresponding threshold current density are 186.4 mA and 867 A/cm2, respectively. The lasing wavelength is around 980 nm, and the slope efficiency is 0.097 W/A with a single-facet output power of 22.5 mW at an injection current of 400 mA. This advancement makes the silicon-based monolithic optoelectronic integration relevant to quantum well lasers more promising with an enhanced feasibility.

Comparative Spectroscopic Study of Aluminum Nitride Grown by MOCVD in H2 and N2 Reaction Environment

We report a comparative spectroscopic study on the thin films of epitaxial aluminum nitride (AlN) on basal plane sapphire (Al2O3) substrates grown in hydrogen (H2) and nitrogen (N2) gas reaction environments. AlN films of similar thicknesses (~3.0 µm) were grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for comparison. The impact of the gas environment on the AlN epilayers was characterized using high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman scattering (RS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), cathodoluminescence (CL), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The study showed that AlN layers grown in a N2 environment have 50% less stress (~0.5 GPa) and similar total dislocation densities (~109/cm2) as compared to the films grown in a H2 environment. On the other hand, AlN films grown in a H2 gas environment have about 33% lesser carbon and 41% lesser oxygen impurities than films grown in a N2 growth environment. The possible mechanisms that influenced the structural quality and impurity incorporation for two different gas environments to grow AlN epilayers in the MOCVD system on sapphire substrates were discussed.