Zn-doped AlInAs grown at high temperature by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Zn-doped AlInAs growth at high temperature, mainly at 750°C, by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition is investigated. When introducing DEZn during AlInAs growth, it is necessary to increase the TMAl flow rate in order to make the layer lattice-matched to InP. This is due to the enhanced In incorporation rather than the large covalent radius of Zn. To clarify the electrical characteristics, the dependence of the DEZn flow rate, the V/III ratio, and the growth temperature are investigated using the van der Pauw Hall method. In our growth system, a GaInAs intermediate layer is effective in preventing n-type inversion in Zn-doped AlInAs, which occurs when it is grown directly on an InP buffer layer. In addition, a large DEZn flow rate is effective for reducing carrier compensation in Zn-doped AlInAs layers grown at 750°C. Si impurities are apparently the cause of the type-inversion and compensation in Zn-doped AlInAs.     

Characterization of (Ba, Sr)RuO3 films deposited by metal organic chemical vapor deposition

(Ba, Sr)RuO₃ oxide electrodes have been studied for high dielectric (Ba, Sr)TiO₃ film in DRAM capacitors. Metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is used for large-scale deposition and provides better step coverage properties. In this work, methoxyethoxytetramethylheptanedionate (METHD) precursor and solvent [n-butylacetate(C₆H₁₂O₂)] were mixed together into a single solution source. Post deposition annealing is carried out in oxygen atmosphere using rapid thermal annealing (RTA) to investigate the effect of organic impurities such as carbon during deposition. After annealing, resistivity of the BSR film decreased drastically compared to the as-deposited film. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis were used to describe this phenomenon accurately. The decrease in carbonate with increasing annealing time was confirmed by XRD analysis.     

Material characteristics of metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of Bi2Te3 films on GaAs substrates

Metal organic chemical vapor deposition has been investigated for growth of Bi₂Te₃ films on (0 0 1) GaAs substrates using trimethylbismuth and diisopropyltelluride as metal organic sources. The results of surface morphology, electrical and thermoelectric properties as a function of growth parameters are given. The surface morphologies of Bi₂Te₃ films were strongly dependent on the deposition temperatures. Surface morphologies varied from step-flow growth mode to island coalescence structures depending on deposition temperature. In-plane carrier concentration and electrical Hall mobility were highly dependent on precursor's ratio of VI/V and deposition temperature. By optimizing growth parameters, we could clearly observe an electrically intrinsic region of the carrier concentration at the temperature higher than 240 K. The high Seebeck coefficient (of −160 μVK⁻¹) and good surface morphology of this material is promising for Bi₂Te₃-based thermoelectric thin film and two-dimensional supperlattice device applications.     

Computational study on transamination of alkylamides with NH3 during metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of tantalum nitride

DFT calculations were employed to investigate transamination during metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of transition metal nitrides films, such as titanium nitride (TiN) and tantalum nitride (TaN). The calculated energetics and rate constants for the ligand exchange of tert-butylimidotris(dimethylamido) tantalum (TBTDMT) with NH₃ demonstrated that NH₃ addition to form the ammonia adduct, TBTDMT·NH₃, proton transfer and dissociation of dimethylamine to afford net transamination of the dimethylamido ligand are facile even at low temperature (∼300 °C). The transamination of the tert-butylimido ligand, however, was relatively slow at those temperatures but became facile at temperatures appropriate for CVD growth (∼600 °C). Rapid transamination is consistent with lower temperature for growth of TaN by MOCVD in the presence of NH₃, efficient removal of carbon-containing ligands, and incorporation of higher levels of nitrogen in the resulting films.     

Effect of NH3 flow rate on m-plane GaN growth on m-plane SiC by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

This paper reports a study of the effect of NH₃ flow rate on m-plane GaN growth on m-plane SiC with an AlN buffer layer. It is found that a reduced NH₃ flow rate during m-plane GaN growth can greatly improve the recovery of in situ optical reflectance and the surface morphology, and narrow down the on-axis (1 0 1¯ 0) X-ray rocking curve (XRC) measured along the in-plane a-axis. The surface striation along the in-plane a-axis, a result of GaN island coalescence along the in-plane c-axis, strongly depends on the NH₃ flow rate, an observation consistent with our recent study of kinetic Wulff plots. The pronounced broadening of the (1 0 1¯ 0) XRC measured along the c-axis is attributed to the limited lateral coherence length of GaN domains along the c-axis, due to the presence of a high density of basal-plane stacking faults, most of which are formed at the GaN/AlN interface, according to transmission electron microscopy.     

Effects of growth temperature on the properties of ZnO/GaAs prepared by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

A series of ZnO films were grown on GaAs(0 0 1) substrates at different growth temperatures in the range 250–720°C by metalorganic chemical vapor depostion. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was utilized to investigate the surface morphology of ZnO films. The crystallinity of ZnO films was investigated by the double-crystal X-ray diffractometry. The optical and electrical properties of ZnO films were also investigated using room-temperature photoluminescence and Hall measurements. Arrhenius plots of the growth rate versus reciprocal temperature revealed the kinetically limited growth behavior depending on the growth temperature. It was found that the surface morphology, structural, optical and electrical properties of the films were improved with increasing growth temperature to 650°C. All the properties of the film grown at 720°C were degraded due to the decomposition of ZnO film.     

The growth of ZnSe by photo-assisted metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)

ZnSe epitaxy layers were grown on (1 0 0)GaAs substrates by photo-assisted MOCVD using DMZn and DMSe as group II and VI sources, respectively. Irradiation can improve the growth rate efficiently, but the irradiation intensity influences the growth rate and the crystalline quality negligibly in a large range. Due to an oxidation reaction on the surface of ZnSe, the growth rate and the flow ratio of group II and VI sources influence the crystalline quality.     

Control of the morphology of InGaN/GaN quantum wells grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Various techniques for morphological evolution of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) structures grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition have been evaluated. Atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray diffraction measurements have been used for characterization. It is shown that inclusions, that are generated into the V-defects in the InGaN quantum wells (QW), can be removed by introducing a small amount of hydrogen during the growth of GaN barriers. This hydrogen treatment results in partial loss of indium from the QWs, but smooth surface morphology of the MQW structure and improved optical quality of InGaN wells are obtained. The density of the V-defects could be reduced by reducing the dislocation density of the underlying GaN buffer.     

Influence of AlGaN/GaN/InGaN superlattice on the characteristics of LEDs grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

This study examined the influence of strain-compensated triple AlGaN/GaN/InGaN superlattice structures (SLs) in n-GaN on the structural, electrical and optical characteristics of LEDs by analyzing the etch pits density (EPD), stress measurement, high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), sheet resistance, photoluminescence (PL) and light–current–voltage (L–I–V). EPD, stress measurement and HRXRD studies showed that the insertion of AlGaN/GaN/InGaN SLs during the growth of n-GaN effectively distributed and compensated for the strong compressive stress, and decreased the dislocation density in n-GaN. The operating voltage at 20 mA for the LEDs grown with SLs decreased to 3.18 V from 3.4 V for the LEDs grown without SLs. In addition, a decrease in the spectral blue shift compared to the LEDs grown without SLs was observed in the LEDs grown with the SLs.     

Photocurrent measurements on GaAs1−xNx epilayers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

GaAs_1−xN_x epilayers were grown on a GaAs(0 0 1) substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Composition was determined by high resolution X-ray diffraction. Band gap was measured from 77 to 400 K by using photocurrent measurements. The photocurrent spectra show clear near-band-edge peak and their peak energies drastically decrease with increasing nitrogen composition due to band gap bowing in the GaAs_1−xN_x epilayers. Those red shifts were particularly notable for low nitrogen compositions. However, the shifts tended to saturate when the nitrogen composition become higher than 0.98%. When the nitrogen composition is in the range 1.68–3.11%, the measured temperature dependence of the energy band gap was nicely fitted. However, the properties for the nitrogen composition range 0.31–0.98% could not be fitted with a single fitting model. This result indicates that the bowing parameter reaches 25.39 eV for low nitrogen incorporation (x=0.31%), and decreases with increasing nitrogen composition.     

A new model for low pressure chemical vapor deposition of SiO2 films by ozone augmented tetraethoxysilane

A simple model has been developed to analyze the low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) of SiO₂ films from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and ozone. It is found that the model correlates well the experimental data taken at 30 to 90 Torr which is the range of the Applied Materials 5000 reactor. The model shows from correlations of experimental data that gas phase reaction reduces the deposition rate and that this effect becomes more significant at temperatures above about 365°C. The model also explains successfully the trend in experimental data on Arrhenius plots for pressures from 30 to 90 Torr. These data indicate that the temperature, T_m, at which the deposition rate is a maximum, decreases as the pressure is increased. This occurs because the effect of parasitic gas phase reactions becomes more important at higher pressure. Furthermore, thetrends predicted buy our model are consistent with the experimental data taken under atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD), even though these conditions are outside the range of applicability of this model which assumes low pressure and therefore very high rates of diffusion.     

Electrical properties of Al2O3 film deposited at low temperatures

Amorphous Al₂O₃ films were deposited on p-Si by rf magnetron sputtering to investigate their potential as a gate dielectric in organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). The deposition was performed at room temperature, 200 and 300 °C using Al₂O₃ and Al targets. Achieved Al₂O₃ films have higher capacitance values than thermally grown SiO₂ as characterized by capacitance-voltage measurements. It is also found from current-voltage and roughness measurements that the leakage current and the surface roughness can be least when the films are deposited at room temperature. The capacitance of the film obtained from the Al₂O₃ target appears higher than that of the Al₂O₃ film from the Al target while the results of electrical breakdown are opposite. These room temperature processes are promising for applications to the gate dielectrics of organic TFTs.     

Growth of ZnTe layers on (111) GaAs substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

ZnTe layers were grown on (111) GaAs substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy using dimethylzinc and diethyltelluride as the source materials. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that epitaxial ZnTe layers can be obtained on (111) GaAs substrates. X-ray rocking curves, Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence measurements showed that the crystal quality of ZnTe layers depends on the substrate temperature during the growth. A high-crystalline quality (111) ZnTe heteroepitaxial layer with strong near-band-edge emission at 550 nm was obtained at a substrate temperature of 440 °C.     

Superior structural and electronic properties for amorphous silicon–germanium alloys deposited by a low temperature hot wire chemical vapor deposition process

Very good electronic properties of hot-wire CVD a-Si,Ge:H alloys have been established by junction capacitance methods. The samples were deposited using a tantalum filament maintained at about 1800 °C instead of the usual 2000 °C tungsten filament process. Urbach energies below 45 meV were found, as well as annealed defect densities below 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, for Ge fractions up to 30 at.%. However, samples with 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ levels of oxygen exhibited much broader Urbach energies and higher defect densities. Light induced degradation was examined in detail for one a-Si,Ge:H alloy sample and compared to the behavior of PECVD grown a-Si:H alloys of similar optical gap.     

Properties of (Ga0.47In0.53)As epitaxial layers grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) using alternative arsenic precursors

In this study, the use of novel, liquid, organic arsenic precursors as substitutes for the highly toxic hydride gas arsine (AsH₃) in low pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (LP-MOVPE) of (GaIn)As lattice matched on InP has been investigated. The model precursors out of the classes of (alkyl)3-nAsH_n (n = 0,1,2) are tertiarybutyl arsine (TBAs), ditertiarybutyl arsine (DitBAsH) and diethyltertiarybutyl arsine (DEtBAs). The MOVPE growth has been investigated in the temperature range of 570–650°C using V/III ratios from 2 to 20. The obtained epitaxial layer quality as examined by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution double crystal X-ray diffraction, temperature-dependent van der Pauw-Hall, as well as photoluminescence (PL) measurements, will be compared for the different source molecules. Under optimized conditions almost uncompensated n-type (GaIn)As layers with carrier concentrations below 1 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻³ and corresponding mobilities above 80 000 cm²/V · s have been realized. For TBAs and DitBAsH in combination with the corresponding P sources TBP and DitBuPH, respectively, we have worked out a process parameter area for the growth of layers with device quality, as proven by the realization of a pin-detector structure.     

Growth of InAs on GaAs(1 0 0) by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition employing in situ generated arsine radicals

InAs was grown by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on vicinal GaAs(1 0 0) substrates misoriented by 2° toward [0 0 1]. We observed InAs crystal growth, at substrate temperatures down to 300°C, employing in situ plasma-generated arsine radicals as the arsenic source. The in situ generated arsine was produced by placing solid arsenic downstream of a microwave driven hydrogen plasma. Trimethylindium (TMIn) feedstock carried by hydrogen gas was used as the indium source. The Arrhenius plot of InAs growth rate vs. reciprocal substrate temperature displayed an activation energy of 46.1 kcal/mol in the temperature range of 300–350°C. This measured activation energy value is very close to the energy necessary to remove the first methyl radical from the TMIn molecule, which has never been reported in prior InAs growth to the best of authors’ knowledge. The film growth mechanism is discussed. The crystallinity, infrared spectrum, electrical properties and impurity levels of grown InAs are also presented.     

Microstructure and ferroelectric properties of BaTiO3 films on LaNiO3 buffer layers by rf sputtering

We have fabricated LaNiO₃ and BaTiO₃ films using the rf sputtering method. The LaNiO₃ were deposited on Si substrates, demonstrating a (1 0 0) highly oriented structure and nanocrystalline characteristic with a grain size of 30 nm. The BaTiO₃ thin films were deposited on the LaNiO₃ buffer layers, and have exhibited a (1 0 0) texture with a thickness of 400 nm. A smooth interface is obtained between the LaNiO₃ bottom electrode and the BaTiO₃ film from cross-section observations by scanning electron microscopy. The bi-layer films show a dense and column microstructure with a grain size of 60 nm. Ferroelectric characterizations have been obtained for the BaTiO₃ films. The remnant polarization and coercive field are 2.1 μC/cm² and 45 kV/cm, respectively. The leak current measurements have shown a good insulating property.     

Effect of NH3 on the growth characterization of TiN films at low temperature

Titanium nitride (TiN) films were obtained by the atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition method of the TiCl₄–N₂–H₂ system with various flow rates of NH₃ at 600°C. The growth characteristics, morphology and microstructure of the TiN films deposited were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Without NH₃ addition, no TiN was deposited at 600°C as shown in the X-ray diffraction curve. However, by adding NH₃ into the TiCl₄–N₂–H₂ system, the crystalline TiN was obtained. The growth rate of TiN films increased with the increase of the NH₃ flow rate. The lattice constant of TiN films decreased with the increase of the NH₃ flow rate. At a low NH₃ flow rate, the TiN (2 2 0) with the highest texture coefficient was found. At a high NH₃ flow rate, the texture coefficient of TiN (2 0 0) increased with the increase of the NH₃ flow rate. In morphology observation, thicker plate-like TiN was obtained when the NH₃ flow rate was increased. When the flow rate of NH₃ was 15 sccm, Moiré fringes were observed in the TiN film as determined by TEM analysis. The intrinsic strain was found in the TiN film as deposited with 60 sccm NH₃.     

The chemistry and transport phenomena of chemical vapor deposition of silicon from SiCl4

The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of silicon is among the most important synthesis methods in electronic industry. We developed and applied novel methods of characterization to studies of CVD of Si from SiCl₄. In particular, we studied the chemistry of the Si-Cl-H system as well as transport phenomena, such as the momentum, heat, and mass transport in a horizontal CVD reactor. A flow visualization was used to study the flow dynamics, i.e., the momentum transport in the reactor. The heat transport was studied by measuring temperatures at various points in the reactor as a function of flow-rates and susceptor temperatures. A specially designed movable probe was used for a mass spectrometric sampling in the reactor. In these experiments, we were able to determine quantitatively partial pressures of reactants and products at some desired location in the reactor, thus studying the mass transport during the CVD of Si. The conducted studies of transport phenomena were used to establish a model which can be used to predict the efficiency and uniformity of the deposition.     

One-step fabrication of Fe2O3/Ag core-shell composite nanoparticles at low temperature

The Fe₂O₃/Ag core-shell composite nanoparticles were successfully prepared via a simple method at low temperature. X-ray diffraction data revealed the formation of core-shell composite nanoparticles, with Fe₂O₃ as the core and silver as the shell. The results from the transmission electron microscopy and scan electron microscopy further indicated that the composite nanoparticles were spherical with a core diameter and shell thickness of 26.0 nm and 13.5 nm, respectively. Magnetic measurements showed that the composite nanoparticles exhibited a typical ferromagnetic behavior, a specific saturation magnetization of 0.95 emu/g and an intrinsic coercivity of 104.0 Oe at room temperature. For a standard two-probe analysis at room temperature, the composite nanoparticles showed a typical conductive behavior and its conductivity was about 3.41 S/m. Moreover, this present synthesis method of Fe₂O₃/Ag core-shell composite nanoparticles shows an easy processing and does not need high-temperature calcining to attain the final product, which can be applied in a variety of areas, including catalysis, medicine, photonics, and new functional device assemblies.