Demand Drives MO CVD Technology

The growth of mobile communications and increased demand for power efficiency in lighting and in electric vehicles is driving new MOCVD technology in many applications.  Capability to meet these new demands is no longer available with silicon, but rather, the new capabilities are coming from compound semiconductor materials such as GaAs, GaN, SiC, InP, etc.  Single crystal silicon deposition, normally accomplished with silane and chlorosilanes, is being supplemented with single crystal deposition from various organic chemicals that contain the necessary metallic elements such as Ga, As, Sb, etc.  Such processes are called metal-organic-chemical-vapor-deposition or MOCVD.  MOCVD equipment leaders include Veeco and Aixtron while Riber and others offer related molecular-beam-epitaxy (MBE) capability.   

The demand for new tools has increased from tens of tools per year to hundreds of tools in 2010, with greater growth expected during the 2011-2020 time period.  Applications include the growth areas of LED lighting, SiC power switches, high-speed communication electronics, and optoelectronics.  Solar cells, normally very cost-sensitive, can also benefit from MOCVD technology.

Our next post will discuss how finite element analysis can help optimize MO CVD process chamber performance. 

For more information on Glew Engineering Consulting visit the Glew Engineering website, blog or call (650) 641-3019.