MOCVDMOVPE

MOCVD, short for metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, and MOVPE, for metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy, refer to a family of semiconductor fabrication techniques that grow crystalline films from metal-organic precursors and hydrides at elevated substrate temperatures. The terms describe a largely identical process, with MOVPE being more common in Europe and Asia and MOCVD widely used in North America and elsewhere.

In a typical system, metal-organic sources such as trimethylgallium, trimethylindium, or trimethylaluminum are carried to a heated substrate by a carrier gas, together with hydride sources like arsine, phosphine, or ammonia. The precursors decompose on or near the substrate surface, forming epitaxial layers of III–V or III–nitride materials. Growth occurs at sub-atmospheric or low-pressure conditions, with gas flows, temperature, and reactor design (including horizontal, vertical, or showerhead configurations) tuned to control composition, thickness, and doping.

Common materials grown include GaAs, InP, GaN, AlGaN, and related alloys, enabling devices such as LEDs, laser diodes, high-electron-mobility transistors, and multi-jig photovoltaic structures. Dopants are introduced via additional precursor streams to achieve n-type or p-type conductivity.

Safety and containment are important due to the toxicity and pyrophoricity of several precursors (for example, arsine and phosphine). Modern MOCVD/MOVPE systems employ rigorous gas-handling, scrubbing, and monitoring to manage hazards. The technique remains essential for high-quality, large-area, and heterostructure semiconductor layers.