Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 February 2011
Tertiarybutylarsine (TBAs), tris-dimethylaminoarsenic (DMAA), and tertiarybutylphosphine (TBP) were investigated as alternatives to arsine and phosphine for the growth of AlGaAs, AlInAs, and AlInP by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy. The use of TBAs led to a significant reduction in carbon and oxygen incorporation compared to ASH3 for AlGaAs. Increasing the TBAs molar flow rate reduced the oxygen (and carbon) concentration. Lower oxygen concentration was observed in AllnP grown with TBP compared to PH3. Increasing the PH3 molar flow rate decreased the oxygen incorporation in AllnP. The morphology of AllnP improved considerably as the growth temperature was increased from 650°C to 750°C, similar to the case of PH3. AlInAs and AlGaAs layers grown with DMAA exhibited rough morphology, presumably due to oxygen-containing impurities in the DMAA source.