Epitaxial growth

Which is a characteristic of MBE (molecular beam epitaxy)?

  1. AIt grows thick films quickly at atmospheric pressure
  2. BSources are supplied to the substrate as molecular beams in ultra-high vacuum, allowing precise control of thickness and composition at the atomic-layer level
  3. CWafers are dipped into liquid sources to grow films
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Answer: B. Sources are supplied to the substrate as molecular beams in ultra-high vacuum, allowing precise control of thickness and composition at the atomic-layer level

MBE grows crystals by heating sources in an ultra-high-vacuum chamber and directing them at the substrate as beams of molecules (atoms). Thickness and composition can be controlled layer by layer while growth is observed in situ, so it is used in research and for high-performance compound semiconductor devices. Growth is slow, and it is less suited to mass production than MOCVD.

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More Epitaxial growth questions

  1. Which gases are used as sources for silicon epitaxial growth?
  2. Which correctly describes selective epitaxial growth?
  3. What is the phenomenon called in which impurities from the substrate or elsewhere are incorporated into the growing layer through the gas phase during epitaxial growth?
  4. What is an advantage of a wafer with a lightly doped p-type epitaxial layer grown on a p+ substrate (p/p+ epitaxial wafer)?
  5. Which correctly describes the critical thickness in heteroepitaxial growth?