Improving source efficiency for aluminum nitride grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition

Parasitic pre-reactions are known to play a role in the growth of aluminum nitride (AlN) via metal organic chemical vapor deposition, where they can deplete precursor molecules before reaching the substrate, leading to poor growth efficiency. Studies have shown that reducing the growth pressure and growth temperature results in improved growth efficiency of AlN; however, superior crystal quality and reduced impurity incorporation are generally best obtained when growing at high temperatures. This study shows that, with proper alkyl source dilution, parasitic pre-reactions can be suppressed while maintaining high growth temperatures. The results show an 18increase in growth rate and efficiency of AlN films: from 0.04 μm h-1 to 0.73 μm h-1, and 26 μm mol-1 to 502 μm mol-1, respectively; under constant TMAl flow and a small change in total gas flow. This results in 6.8% of Al atoms from the injected TMAl being utilized for AlN layer growth for this reactor configuration. This is better than the standard GaN growth, where 6.0% of the Ga atoms injected from TMGa are utilized for GaN growth.