AstroPower proposes to develop a large-scale, high- throughput liquid phase epitaxial (LPE) reactor for the fabrication of multi-layer III-V semiconductor devices. A design goal of 1000 cm2 per hour has been established while maintaining the key features of LPE: 1) highest material quality of all epitaxial growth processes, 2) simplicity and safety (as compared to MOCVD and MBE), and 3) low cost (materials, capital equipment, etc.). Liquid phase epitaxy has been used in the manufacturing of laser and light emitting diodes using quaternary (InGaAsP/InP) and ternary (A1GaAs) compounds. The limitations as a production tool have been due to low throughput. The design goal for this program represents a 30x increase over other large-scale LPE systems and a 3x increase over MOCVD reactors. LPE has not been the beneficiary of revolutionary new ideas because of the mistaken belief that it is "old technology". Nonetheless, LPE material is used as the quality standard in materials comparison with other techniques such as MOCVD and MBE. This program will result in state-of-the-art LPE reactors which will have superior throughput, material quality, and safety compared to any other growth techniques.
