Growth and new directions in commercial III-V epitaxial manufacturing

Commercial III-V epitaxial manufacturing is undergoing a rapid expansion in the quantities of wafers produced and in the use of new materials structures. Growth reactors, including multiple wafer MBE (molecular beam epitaxy) systems as well as redesigned OMVPE (organometallic vapor phase epitaxy) and VPE (vapor phase epitaxy) reactors, have evolved to produce larger quantities of sophisticated materials structures. III-V epitaxial wafer demand in the next five years will be heightened by silicon-based integrated circuits operating at low gigahertz frequencies. Ion-implanted MESFET technologies at these frequencies will be displaced by cheaper silicon ICs. Vertical transport and quantum electronic devices will be favored over slower lateral transport technologies. Advanced epitaxial structures require close links to device and integrated circuit fabrication and testing. Performance and yield in many of these technologies depend critically upon epitaxial thickness, doping, compositional and uniformity control.<>