Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 February 2011
The effects of the growth temperature and exposure time to TMGa for ALE of gallium arsenide was studied using TMGa and AsH3 in a modified, vertical, atmospheric, MOCVD reactor with a rotating susceptor. It was found that the temperature range for ALE growth could -be extended from 450°C to 700°C by adjustment of the exposure time to TMGa. The maximum exposure time to TMGa was found to decrease as growth temperature increased with high temperature growth limited to exposures of only fractions of a second. Beyond a critical exposure time to TMGa, gallium droplets form on the surface. It is known that premature decomposition of TMGa in the heated gaseous boundary layer causes the formation of the gallium droplets and the consequent loss of ALE growth.