Growth and modeling of III-V compound semiconductor optoelectronic materials with device applications

Several topics have been undertaken during the course of this degree which are associated with understanding and improving semiconductor processing. Growth, modeling and characterization of III-V compound semiconductor materials and optoelectronic devices has been emphasized. Epitaxial layers of Ga{dollar}sb{lcub}rm x{rcub}{dollar}In{dollar}sb{lcub}rm 1-x{rcub}{dollar}As{dollar}sb{lcub}rm y{rcub}{dollar}P{dollar}sb{lcub}rm 1-y{rcub}{dollar} with lattice matched alloy compositions over the range from x = 0, y = 0 (InP) to x = 0.47, y = 1 (Ga{dollar}sb{lcub}.47{rcub}{dollar}In{dollar}sb{lcub}.53{rcub}{dollar}As) have been grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on InP substrates. Both the MOCVD system, used to grow these layers, and a low temperature Hall effect system, used to characterize these layers, were designed and installed. The results from several other analytical techniques were used to determine the optimal growth conditions for high quality epitaxial layers.; The use of Diethylzinc (DEZn), bis(Methylcyclopentadienyl) Magnesium (MCp{dollar}sb2{dollar}Mg) and Dimethylcadmium (DMCd) as p-type dopant sources for MOCVD InP was investigated at Bell Northern Research (BNR) in Ottawa, Canada. It has been experimentally observed that the carrier concentration dependence on dopant partial pressure in the MOCVD reactor is different for each of these three dopants. A novel model of the p-doping process of MOCVD InP using DEZn has been developed that incorporates an equilibrium boundary condition between the gas phase and solid phase point defects. The results of this model indicate that at high DEZn gas phase mole fractions, which results in low solid-phase electrical activity, the dominant electrically inactive point defects are intersticial Zinc and Zinc complexed with a phosphorous divacancy.; A novel optoelectronic device has been fabricated and modeled which contains p-n heterojunctions in an optical interference filter. Structures were grown by molecular beam epitaxy at BNR using the GaAs/AlGaAs material system and by MOCVD at the University of Florida using the InP/GaInAsP material system. Structures with peak reflectivities at 1.3 and 1.45 microns were grown and good crystalline quality was confirmed by optical reflectance peak widths, TEM cross sections and double crystal diffractometry rocking curves. Electrical bistability was observed in a forty layer device which has never been reported before in a structure of this size.