Systematic investigation of the growth kinetics of <bold>β</bold>-Ga2O3 epilayer by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

beta-Ga2O3 has attracted much attention due to its ultrawide-bandgap (similar to 4.9eV) with a high breakdown field (8MV/cm) and good thermal/chemical stability. In order for beta-Ga2O3 to be used in electronic and optoelectronic devices, epitaxial growth technology of thin films should be given priority. However, challenges are associated with the trade-off growth rate with crystallization and surface roughness in conventional epitaxy. Herein, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition was used to grow the beta-Ga2O3 epilayer, and the growth kinetics process has been systematically investigated. A high growth rate of similar to 0.58 mu m/h and a plane orientation with a full width at half maximum value of 0.86 degrees were obtained when grown on the c-plane sapphire substrate at the growth temperature of 820 degrees C. Then, a proposed model for the mechanism of nucleation and growth of beta-Ga2O3 epitaxial films is established to understand the precursor transport and gas phase reaction process. This work provides a cheap, green, and efficient epitaxial growth method, which is indispensable for device applications of beta-Ga2O3. Published under license by AIP Publishing.