MOCVD Technology for Visible Light Emitting II-VI Lasers
Description
- Project Title:
- MOCVD Technology for Visible Light Emitting II-VI Lasers
- Acronym:
- MTVLE
- Number:
- 6675
- Work Area:
- Alternative Advanced Semiconductor Materials, Devices and Process Steps
- Coordinator:
- Université de Montpellier II
GES - UA 357 CNRS
Place Eugene Bataillon
F - 34095 MONTPELLIER
- Coordinator Country:
- F
- Partners
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne CH
Thomson-CSF F
ASM France F
Epichem Ltd UK
- Contact Point:
- Dr. O. Briot
- Telephone:
- +33/67 41 06 05
- Fax:
- +33/67 14 42 40
- E-Mail:
-
- Keywords:
- II-VI semiconductors, blue lasers, MOCVD organometallic precursor materials, laser technology
- Start Date:
- 1 September 92
- Duration:
- 36 months
- Status:
- running
- Abstract:
- There is a great demand for visible light-emitting semiconductor lasers. III-V materials are not well-suited for short wavelength applications because their band-gap is generally not wide enough. The best potential materials are the wide-gap II-VI compounds (based on ZnSe, ZnTe, ZnS) which are intrinsically better luminescent materials than the III-V materials. The project aims to produce a semiconductor laser device, emitting in the visible range (blue), in which the active structure is based on MOCVD-grown wide-gap II-VI compounds. This involves developing equipment technology and basic work on precursors prior to the growth and subsequent device processing on the epitaxial layers.
AIMS
The aim of the project is to develop the II-VI MOCVD technology and its applications in the field of blue light emission (Light Emitting and laser diodes):
- high purity II-VI precursor technology
- MOCVD equipment technology
- develop the knowledge on II-VI quantum heterostructures and their applications in device structures
- develop the knowledge concerning II-VI material processing.
APPROACH AND METHODS
The consortium plans to develop wide-gap II-VI compounds growth and doping processes using the MOCVD technology, as European MOCVD growth technologies (equipment and precursors) are very competitive and because MOCVD is widely employed in the industry for the production of compound semiconductor devices (mainly III-V transistors, photodetectors and emitters).
The approach is two-fold. Firstly, a conventional laser structure will be made, involving a p-type ZnSe layer. This needs control of p-type doping in ZnSe. Secondly, a superlattice-based junction will be designed using n-type ZnSe and p-type ZnTe which is capable of exhibiting blue light emission.
PROGRESS AND RESULTS
The growth of wide gap II-VI compounds using novel precursors designed and produced by EPICHEM has been done. It has been demonstrated that extremely high purity materials (ZnSe, ZnTe and ZnS) could be obtained from triethylamine-dimethylzinc.
This work demonstrate that a level of purity similar to III-V precursors can now be achieved with original II-VI precursors. Other new precursors are currently studied. The successfull growth of ZnSe/ZnTe short-period superlattices has been demonstrated by MOCVD using these precursors. This type of structures will be used in the design of modulation doped devices.
A plasma precracking cell for plasma assisted doping has been developed by ASM France.
POTENTIAL
The technology of optical information storage is limited by the density of information stored by the resolution of a system. This resolution depends both on disc media and technology, and also on the electro-optical reading system (the main element being the wavelength of the semiconductor laser employed). Up to now, only near infrared lasers based on III-V materials (GaAs/GaAlAs) have been employed, but their long wavelength is a limiting factor for the increase of the information density on the disc. The Blue sources using II-VI materials should constitute a major breakthrough in this domain.
LATEST PUBLICATIONS
- Briot N, Cloitre T, Briot O, Gil B, Bertho D, Jouanin C, Aulombard R L, Hirtz J P, Huber A Low pressure MOVPE growth of ZnSe, ZnTe and ZnSe/ZnTe strained layers superlattices Journal of Electronic Materials 22,5, pp. 643 (1993)
- Cloitre T, Briot N, Briot O, Gil B, Aulombard R L and Jones A C Optical characterisation of extremely high purity ZnSe grown by MOVPE using dimethylzinc triethylamine adduct proceedings of European Materials Research Society, 4-7 May 1993, Material science and Engineering B (to be published)
- Cloitre T, Briot N, Briot O, Gil B and Aulombard R L Low pressure Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxial growth of ZnTe using triethylamine-dimethylzinc adduct In: J.Crystal Growth 1993 (to be published)
- Briot N, Cloitre T, Briot O, Boring P, Ponga B E, Gil B, Aulombard R L, Gailhanou M, Sallese J M and Jones A C Electronic structure of short-period ZnSe/ZnTe strained layer superlattices grown by MOVPE, Material Research Society Symposium proceedings (Spring meeting 1993)
Sven Müßig, last update 07-nov-1995. Your feedback is welcome.