Epitaxy is the process of growing a thin, ordered crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate where the substrate acts as a seed crystal. There are two types of epitaxy: homoepitaxy, where the layer and substrate are the same material, and heteroepitaxy, where they are different materials. Epitaxy provides a way to control doping profiles and grow defect-free layers with different physical properties than the substrate. Common epitaxial techniques include vapor phase epitaxy.
Epitaxy is the process of growing a thin, ordered crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate where the substrate acts as a seed crystal. There are two types of epitaxy: homoepitaxy, where the layer and substrate are the same material, and heteroepitaxy, where they are different materials. Epitaxy provides a way to control doping profiles and grow defect-free layers with different physical properties than the substrate. Common epitaxial techniques include vapor phase epitaxy.
Epitaxy is the process of growing a thin, ordered crystalline layer on a crystalline substrate where the substrate acts as a seed crystal. There are two types of epitaxy: homoepitaxy, where the layer and substrate are the same material, and heteroepitaxy, where they are different materials. Epitaxy provides a way to control doping profiles and grow defect-free layers with different physical properties than the substrate. Common epitaxial techniques include vapor phase epitaxy.
The word “Epitaxy” is derived from Greek letters: ‘epi’ means
‘upon’ and ‘taxis’ means ‘ordered’.
Thus, the process of growth of a thin ordered crystalline layer
on the crystalline substrate is known as epitaxy.
During epitaxy, the substrate acts as the seed crystal.
Types: Homoepitaxy: When the layer grown and the substrate are of the same material. E.g. silicon layer grown on silicon. Heteroepitaxy: When the layer grown and the substrate are of different material. E.g. SOS or Al O silicon on sapphire. ₂ ₃
NOTE: Generally, all epitaxial processes are hetero-epitaxial
in nature as there always exists a difference between layer and substrate due to variation in doping or defect density, even if chemically they are of the same material. Why Epitaxy? Epitaxy provides a way to control the doping profile in a device structure beyond that available with diffusion or Ion implantation.
The physical properties of the layer that is epitaxially grown
are totally different from that of the substrate and also defect free.