Convenor: Dr Maksym Myronov

Module Code: EF

Module Name: Epitaxy fundamentals

Start: TBC

Lectures on Monday and Thursday 10:00-11:00am

Start Date and Commitments

Module Details

Most of modern electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic, thermoelectric, photovoltaic and sensor devices are fabricated of thin film semiconductor materials, which are epitaxially grown on a substrate. Due to precise control over chemical composition, doping, and dimensions of a thin film made possible by modern epitaxial techniques, one can obtain a material with entirely novel physical properties which are often based on quantum phenomena arising from the confinement of charge carriers in very tiny volumes, comparable with their De Broglie wavelengths. In order to understand epitaxial growth, relevant thermodynamic and kinetic processes and phenomena which make the transition from a disordered phase, i.e. gas or liquid, to an ordered crystalline phase possible have to be known.

The proposed lecture course offers an introduction to the epitaxy fundamentals. Application examples of epilayers used in various existing and potentially new devices will accompany discussion and review on each topic. The course consists of 12 lectures provisional titles of which are outlined below.

1) Introduction

2) Thin films deposition

3) Epilayers characterization techniques

4) Substrates for epitaxy

5) Epitaxial growth modes

6) Planar and selective epitaxy

7) Chemical Vapour Deposition

8) Liquid Phase Epitaxy

9) Solid Source Molecular Beam Epitaxy

10) Gas Source Molecular Beam Epitaxy

11) Pulsed Laser Deposition

12) Atomic Layer Deposition