Method for controlling thin film growth of compound semiconductors using mass spectrometer detectors
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsYung-Chung Kao, Francis G. Celii
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Abstract
A molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system (10) is provided to grow thin film, epitaxy layers (44, 46, 48, 50) on compound semiconductor substrates (40). A mass spectrometer detector (95) is used to monitor and control the flux from selected sources (21, 23, 25, 27) within the MBE system (10). A uniform layer of indium gallium arsenide (46, 50) may be grown on a semiconductor substrate (40) by controlling the indium flux with respect to substrate (40) temperature and time. An epitaxy layer (46) of indium gallium arsenide with uniform mole fraction concentration and reduced lattice strain is produced.
Claims12
A method for growing thin film layers on a compound semiconductor wafer within a molecular beam epitaxy chamber, said method comprising the steps of:
- heating said wafer to a selected temperature;
- directing the flux from a plurality of atomic and/or molecular sources onto said semiconductor wafer;
- and
- varying said flux from one or more of said sources and the temperature of said wafer based on information from one or more mass spectrometer detectors which receive input from the surface of said wafer.
A method for growing epitaxy layers on a gallium arsenide substrate comprising the steps of:
- placing the gallium arsenide substrate on a substrate holder within a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system;
- placing a plurality of atomic and molecular sources within said MBE system;
- placing a mass spectrometer detector within said MBE system;
- heating said gallium arsenide substrate to a selected temperature;
- directing the flux from one or more of said sources onto said gallium arsenide substrate;
- monitoring said mass spectrometer detector for atomic signals associated with a selected source;
- and
- varying the flux from said selected source and the temperature of said substrate based on information from said mass spectrometer detector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.