Systematic study of epitaxy growth uniformity in a specific MOCVD reactor

Gallium nitride (GaN) is a direct bandgap semiconductor widely used in bright light‐emitting diodes (LEDs). Thin‐film GaN is grown by metal‐organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) technique. Reliability, efficiency and durability of LEDs are influenced critically by the quality of GaN films. In this report, a systematic study has been performed to investigate and optimize the growth process. Fluid flow, heat transfer and chemical reactions are calculated for a specific close‐coupled showerhead (CCS) MOCVD reactor. Influences of reactor dimensions and growth parameters have been examined after introducing the new conceptions of growth uniformity and growth efficiency. It is found that GaN growth rate is mainly affected by the concentration of (CH3)3Ga:NH3 on the susceptor, while growth uniformity is mainly influenced by the recirculating flows above the susceptor caused by natural convection. Effect of gas inlet temperature and the susceptor temperature over the growth rate can be explained by two competing mechanisms. High growth efficiency can be achieved by optimizing the reactor design. Gallium nitride is widely used in bright light‐emitting diodes (LEDs). Reliability, efficiency and durability of LEDs are influenced critically by the quality of GaN films grown by metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition technique. A systematic study of fluid flow, heat transfer and chemical reactions has been performed to investigate the influences of reactor dimensions and growth parameters on growth uniformity and growth efficiency. Optimized conditions to achieve maximum growth efficiency are proposed.