Metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy

Illustration of the process

Metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy (MOVPE), also known as organometallic vapour-phase epitaxy (OMVPE) or metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD),[1] is a chemical vapour deposition method used to produce single- or polycrystalline thin films. It is a process for growing crystalline layers to create complex semiconductor multilayer structures.[2] In contrast to molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE), the growth of crystals is by chemical reaction and not physical deposition. This takes place not in vacuum, but from the gas phase at moderate pressures (10 to 760 Torr). As such, this technique is preferred for the formation of devices incorporating thermodynamically metastable alloys,[citation needed] and it has become a major process in the manufacture of optoelectronics, such as light-emitting diodes, its most widespread application.[3] It was first demonstrated in 1967 at North American Aviation (later Rockwell International) Autonetics Division in Anaheim CA by Harold M. Manasevit.

  1. ^ MOCVD Epitaxy, Johnson Matthey, GPT.
  2. ^ How MOCVD works. Deposition Technology for Beginners, Aixtron, May 2011.
  3. ^ Kasap, Safa; Capper, Peter (August 2007). Springer Handbook of Electronic and Photonic Materials. Springer. ISBN 978-0-387-29185-7.