High temperature step-flow growth of gallium phosphide by molecular beam epitaxy and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Post-growth surface morphologies of high-temperature homoepitaxial GaP films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) have been studied. Smooth, stepped surface morphologies of MBE-grown layers, measured by atomic force microscopy, were found for a wide range of substrate temperatures and P-2:Ga flux ratios. A MOCVD-based growth study performed under similar conditions to MBE-grown samples shows a nearly identical smooth, step-flow surface morphology, presenting a convergence of growth conditions for the two different methods. The additional understanding of GaP epitaxy gained from this study will impact its use in applications that include GaP-based device technologies, III-V metamorphic buffers, and III-V materials integration with silicon. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3644956]