This is an interdisciplinary project to study the chemical engineering aspects of organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE). It involves an interdisciplinary team of two chemical engineers and two materials scientists. The team has selected a known but important system, the homo- and heteroepitaxial growth of cadmium telluride onto cadmium telluride and gallium arsenide surfaces. There are three aspects of the study: 1. Modeling of the deposited films as a function of temperature, alkyl mixture, and flow in an impinging jet reactor with uniform heat and mass transfer characteristics. 2. Study of the surface chemical kinetics by thermogravimetric analysis to develop surface kinetic constants to feed into the model developed in the first study. 3. Evaluation of the electronic and structural quality of the films as they are formed under different conditions, as identified with the help of the model. The great value of this project is in the combination of well thought-out reactor geometry and materials selections, with adequate tools for materials characterization, together with a well-planned, fundamental approach to understanding and controlling the physics and chemistry of the OMVPE process. Processes of this type will play a central role in the development of future high-tech industries, which richly justifies the investment necessary to understand these processes in as full a manner as possible. This improved understanding will translate into improved quality of products and into greater efficiencies in the industries which employ them.
