Technical Insight
Nitrogen suitable for MOCVD growth (Materials and Equipment)
The University of California in Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Aeronex (San Diego, CA) have completed a study on the effects of Aeronex s gas purifiers on the quality of MOCVD film growth. Conducted by professors Steven Denbaars and Jim Speck, the year-long project found that in a nitrogen atmosphere, Aeronex s N2 purifier was as effective at removing oxygen- and carbon-bearing species as palladium cells used in a hydrogen ambient. The UCSB study concluded that nitrogen gas has the potential to replace hydrogen in MOCVD growth systems with no loss in purity of the epitaxial film. This could lead to lower material costs and improved safety of the growth process for devices such as InGaN LEDs and GaAs-based FETs and HBTs, says the company. "Challenges in purity and doping control demand cleaner precursor gases," said UCSB s Jim Speck. "We found that Aeronex s purifiers provide a final measure to ensure gas quality and to protect against contamination that may be introduced by the gas delivery system or other process components."
