Process for vapor phase epitaxy of compound semiconductor

Abstract

A process for forming a high quality epitaxial compound semiconductor layer of indium gallium nitride In.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N, (where 0<x<1) on a substrate. A first gas including indium trichloride (InCl.sub.3) and a second gas including ammonia (NH.sub.3) are introduced into a reaction chamber and heated at a first temperature. Indium nitride (InN) is grown epitaxially on the substrate by nitrogen (N.sub.2) carrier gas to form an InN buffer layer. Thereafter, a third gas including hydrogen chloride (H1) and gallium (Ga) is introduced with the first and second gases into a chamber heated at a second temperature higher than the first temperature and an epitaxial In.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N layer is grown on the buffer layer by N.sub.2 gas. By using helium, instead of N.sub.2, as carrier gas, the In.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x N layer with more homogeneous quality is obtained. In addition, the InN buffer layer is allowed to be modified into a GaN buffer layer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.