Application of limited reaction processing to atomic layer epitaxy: Growth of cadmium telluride using diisopropyl telluride and dimethyl cadmium

A new thin film growth technique is introduced which combines the advantages of atomic layer epitaxy and limited reaction processing. Using this technique, the temperature of each portion of the atomic layer growth cycle may be individually optimized. In this work, thin films of cadmium telluride are grown using diisopropyl telluride and dimethyl cadmium. Experimental results show that isothermal atomic layer epitaxy is not possible using these two reactants, as the self-limited temperature regimes for the cadmium and tellurium deposition cycles differ by approximately 150 °C. Layer-by-layer, self-limited growth is demonstrated using the new growth technique, using temperature ranges of 150 to 175 °C and 300 to 320 °C for the cadmium and tellurium deposition cycles, respectively.