Fundamental aspects of organometallic vapor phase epitaxy

This review discusses new developments in our attempts to understand the fundamental aspects of organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE), a process now widely used in the manufacture of III/V materials for photonic and electronic applications. It includes discussions of thermodynamic, hydrodynamic, and kinetic aspects of the growth process, with an emphasis on recent developments in the area of surface processes. The bonding at the surface during OMVPE growth is found to be determined mainly by thermodynamic factors. However, features such as steps and kinks are controlled by kinetic factors. The surface bonding, including that determined by the step structure, is just being discovered as being a key determining factor in the fundamental growth processes, including adsorption/desorption, surface pyrolysis reactions, and surface diffusion. Thus, surface processes determine many aspects of the growth process and, in many cases, the properties of the resulting epitaxial layers.