Recent developments in the growth of semiconductor thin films are reviewed. The emphasis is on growth by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Results obtained by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) are employed to describe the different kinds of growth processes and the types of materials which can be constructed. MBE is routinely capable of heterostructure growth to atomic precision with a wide range of materials including III-V, IV, II-VI semiconductors, metals, ceramics such as high Tc materials and organics. As the growth proceeds in ultra high vacuum, MBE can take advantage of surface science techniques such as Auger, RHEED and SIMS. RHEED is the essential in-situ probe since the final crystal quality is strongly dependent on the surface reconstruction during growth. RHEED can also be used to calibrate the growth rate, monitor growth kinetics, and distinguish between various growth modes. A major new area is lattice mismatched growth where attempts are being made to construct heterostructures between materials of different lattice constants such as GaAs on Si. Also described are the new techniques of migration enhanced epitaxy and tilted superlattice growth. Finally some comments are given On the means of preparing large area, thin samples for analysis by other techniques from MBE grown films using capping, etching and liftoff.
The Growth of Semiconductor Thin Films Studied by RHEED