CHEMICAL APPROACHES TO THE METALORGANIC CVD OF GROUP-III NITRIDES

Thin films of group-III nitrides, such as AlN, GaN, and InN, have a number of important technological applications, for example passive barrier layers in silicon circuits, high-temperature windows, and dielectric optical enhancement layers in magneto-optic multilayer structures. The materials exhibit interesting physical properties, including hardness, high thermal conductivity, and resistance to corrosive media. This article reviews recent progress in the development of precursors for the CVD of these materials, the doping of the materials, and the growth mechanisms.