Fundamentals of thin film epitaxy

Abstract

The advantages of epitaxy exist in the possibilities of growing thin crystals 1) of high purity and high quality, 2) with nano~micro structures and 3) that have no bulk crystal. This technology was developed in the late 1950s to 1970s and then employed to realize many modern electro-optical devices. To understand the mechanism of epitaxy, key parameters such as supersaturation and the surface diffusion length are explained. Then, it is demonstrated that the surfaces where the growth is taking place can be classified into 3 kinds such as singular, vicinal and atomically rough surfaces. The growth behavior on each surface is discussed.