Real-time Optical Monitoring of Epitaxial Growth Processes by p-Polarized Reflectance Spectroscopy

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper we introduce a real-time optical probe technique, p-polarized reflectance spectroscopy (PRS), for the monitoring of epitaxial growth processes. GaP heteroepitaxy by pulsed chemical beam epitaxy (PCBE) is used as an example. PRS allows to follow the deposition process with submonolayer resolution, utilizing a fine structure that is superimposed to the interference oscillations in the reflected intensity. This fine structure is explained by the periodic alteration of the surface reaction chemistry under pulsed chemical precursor supply. In the case of epitaxial GaP growth, it is modeled for a four layer stack, including an ultra-thin surface reaction layer of periodically changing thickness do(t) and dielectric function εo(t) tied to the periodic surface exposure to tertiarybutyl phosphine (TBP) and triethylgallium (TEG) pulses, respectively. The imaginary part of the dielectric function, εO2, of this surface reaction layer can be determined directly from the distance of the inflection points in the fine structure, where the optical response to the first precursor pulse in the cycle sequence changes sign, from the closests interference minimum. The surface reaction kinetics can be studied by analyzing the decay time characteristic in the transients of the fine structure.