GAAs High-Speed Devices: Physics, Technology, and Circuit Applications

PREFACE

High-speed semiconductor devices are the essential components of digital computers, telecommunication systems, optoelectronics, and advanced electronic systems as they can handle analog and digital signals at high frequencies and high bit rates. The design and development of these devices are vital to the continued growth of the high-tech industries. This book looks at the process advancements in GaAs device fabrication and offers insights into the design of devices, their physical operating principles, and their use in integrated circuits as well as other applications.

The book is organized into five parts: The first part, Chapter 2, discusses gallium arsenide materials and their crystal properties, the electron energy-band structures, hole and electron transport, the crystal growth of GaAs from the melt and the defect density analysis.

The second part consider the fabrication process of gallium arsenide devices and integrated circuits. Chapter 3 covers the epitaxial growth processes, molecular beam epitaxy, and the metal–organic chemical vapor deposition techniques used to grow a single atomic layer. An important feature of the chapter is the research on low-substrate temperature growth epitaxy systems which have been developed for better device fabrication. Chapter 4 gives an introduction on wafer-cleaning techniques and environmental control, wet etching methods and chemicals, and dry etching systems consisting of reactive ion etching and reactive ion-beam etching methods. ...