A METHOD OF GROWING A BUFFER LAYER USING MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY

摘要

A method of growing a Group III-V nitride buffer layer on a substrate made of a different material by molecular beam epitaxy is provided, which compensates for lattice mismatching between a material of the substrate and a material of a further layer to be grown on the substrate. The method includes the steps of: placing the substrate in a vacuum chamber at a reduced pressure suitable for epitaxial growth and at an elevated temperature; and supplying species to the vacuum chamber to be used in the epitaxial growth including a nitrogen precursor species supplying nitrogen to the substrate to cause epitaxial growth on the substrate of the buffer layer. The elevated temperature is in the range of 300 to 800 DEG C, and a supply rate of nitrogen to the substrate is such as to cause epitaxial growth on the substrate of the Group III-V nitride buffer layer of uniform thickness less than 2000 ANGSTROM at a growth rate in the range of 2 to 10 mu m/hr.