In situ monitoring and control for MBE growth of optoelectronic devices

Improved control over layer thickness has been realized using optical interference techniques such as reflectance spectroscopy. It is now common to observe spectra of distributed-Bragg-reflector (DBR) mirrors during growth to make corrections for growth rate drifts. Real-time optical flux monitoring (OFM) by atomic absorption allows precise layer control by measuring group III fluxes continuously during growth. The flux information can be used to operate growth shutters and to control effusion cell heaters in a feedback loop. Improved substrate temperature measurement by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) allows precise measurement of substrate temperature. DRS is not subject to the same errors encountered in pyrometer or thermocouple measurements of substrate temperature.