Orientations of Al4C3 and Al films grown on GaAs substrates

Abstract A method for growth of aluminum epilayers on III-V substrates using metalorganic chemic vapor deposition (MOCVD) processes could be beneficial for optoelectronic and photovoltaic device fabrication. However, deposition from common precursors under standard MOCVD conditions results in polycrystalline Al 4 C 3 . Both Al 4 C 3 films grown on GaAs (100) substrates, and those grown on GaAs (111) B substrates, show strong alignment of the rhombohedral [110] for the Al 4 C 3 crystallites with the in-plane GaAs directions. However, by using plasma-enhanced MOCVD at low growth temperatures, elemental Al can be deposited. Al growth by this method on (001), (111) B and (110) GaAs substrates gave textured, polycrystalline films. In all cases, the Al crystallites are primarily oriented with a aligned with an in-plane of the substrate at initial growth stages. These insights may lead towards growth of large-grained or epitaxial Al films.