Advances in metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy

Metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) has become a well-established technique for the epitaxial growth of layers of III–V compound semiconductors since its introduction in 1968. Use has been made of the technique to produce such layers and associated devices to very demanding specifications. This paper describes MOVPE, followed by an overview of work at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center on the technique, with emphasis on doping and selective epitaxy. Device applications are included to highlight the need to take into account the influence of materials and growth phenomena in order to produce optimum devices.