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Compound Semiconductor Wafers and Substrates

A compound semiconductor is a single crystal semiconductor material composed of two or more different elements. Binary compound semiconductors are made from many elements; for instance, SiC binds two group IV elements, but many can be recognized as elemental pairs taken from either side of the Group IV elements. Some of the widely used compound semiconductors include GaN, AlN, InSb, and GaAs from the III–V element groups and CdS, ZnSe, and HgTe from the II–VI groups. Many bind together in the zincblende (FCC diamond symmetry) or wurtzite (hexagonal symmetry) structures. 

Fabrication of Compound Semiconductors

Metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) is the most popular deposition technology for the formation of compound semiconducting thin films for devices. It uses ultrapure metalorganics and/or hydrides as precursor source materials in an ambient gas such as hydrogen.

Other techniques of choice include:

Compound semiconductors have found commercial applications as optoelectronic devices. The direct bandgap of many makes them more efficient light emitters. 

A larger lattice mismatch when one film is grown over another can lead to defects at the interface in the bulk material that reduce optical and electronic device performance. Placing two materials with different lattice constants will result in lattice strain. The strain can be large enough that the lattices are incoherent and do not register their atoms and the lattice is incoherently grown over the substrate. The thin film lattice may choose to accommodate the semiconductor substrate lattice by forming strong ionic/covalent bonds between the atoms on the two surfaces; this distorts the natural lattice constant of the film lattice. The lattice, so distorted, can be compressive or under tension. However, when the film thickness reaches a critical thickness, the film relieves the strain by forming dislocations. In some cases, the dislocations can extend through the entire film. Dislocations extending through the lattice are undesirable because they affect electron dynamics throughout the bulk. When dislocations are formed, it is desirable to confine them near the interface. Browse semiconductor substrates and wafers below.


1 inch Ammonothermal High Electron Concentration N-type Free Standing Gallium Nitride Substrate - MSE Supplies LLC

1 inch Ammonothermal High Electron Concentration N-type Free-Standing Gallium Nitride (GaN) Substrate

£2,22100 Save £26700
1 inch Ammonothermal High Transparency N-type Free-Standing Gallium Nitride Substrate - MSE Supplies LLC

1 inch Ammonothermal High Transparency N-type Free-Standing Gallium Nitride (GaN) Substrate

£2,23700 Save £26900
1.5 inch Ammonothermal Semi-insulating Free-Standing Gallium Nitride Substrate - MSE Supplies LLC

1.5 inch Ammonothermal Semi-insulating Free-Standing Gallium Nitride (GaN) Substrate

£6,11300 Save £73500
2 inch Ammonothermal High Electron Concentration N-type Free-Standing Gallium Nitride Substrate - MSE Supplies LLC

2 inch Ammonothermal High Electron Concentration N-type Free-Standing Gallium Nitride (GaN) Substrate

£5,43800 Save £65300
2 inch Ammonothermal High Transparency N-type Free-Standing Gallium Nitride Substrate - MSE Supplies LLC

2 inch Ammonothermal High Transparency N-type Free-Standing Gallium Nitride (GaN) Substrate

£6,11300 Save £73500
5 x 10 mm, A plane (11-20) Fe-doped semi-insulating, non-polar, free-standing Gallium Nitride (GaN),  MSE Supplies

5 x 10 mm, A plane (11-20) Fe-doped semi-insulating, non-polar, free-standing Gallium Nitride (GaN)

£60400 Save £7200
5 x 10 mm, M plane (1-100) Fe-doped semi-insulating, non-polar, free-standing Gallium Nitride (GaN),  MSE Supplies

5 x 10 mm, M plane (1-100) Fe-doped semi-insulating, non-polar, free-standing Gallium Nitride (GaN)

£60400 Save £7200
10 mm x 10.5 mm Fe-Doped Semi-Insulating Gallium Nitride Single Crystal C Plane (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 10 mm x 10.5 mm Fe-Doped Semi-Insulating Gallium Nitride Single Crystal C Plane (0001)

£32200 Save £3900
10 mm x 10.5 mm Ge-doped N-type Gallium Nitride Single Crystal C plane (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 10 mm x 10.5 mm Ge-doped N-type Gallium Nitride Single Crystal C plane (0001)

£33800 Save £4100
10 mm x 10.5 mm, Undoped, N-type, Gallium Nitride Single Crystal Substrate C plane (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 10 mm x 10.5 mm, Undoped, N-type, Gallium Nitride Single Crystal Substrate C plane (0001)

£23900 Save £2800
Laser Diode Grade 2 inch Fe-doped Semi-insulating Gallium Nitride Single Crystal C plane (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 2 inch Carbon-doped Semi-insulating Gallium Nitride Single Crystal

£84600 Save £10200
2 inch Mg-doped P-type GaN 4 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 2 inch Mg-doped P-type GaN 4.5 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001)

£21000 Save £2500
2 inch Semi-Insulating Fe-doped GaN 2 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 2 inch Semi-Insulating Fe-doped GaN 2 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001)

£46400 Save £5600
2 inch Si-Doped N-Type GaN 20 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 2 inch Si-Doped N-Type GaN 20 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001)

£26600 Save £3200
2 inch Si-doped N-type GaN 4 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 2 inch Si-doped N-type GaN 4.5 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001)

£18500 Save £2300
Laser Diode Grade 2 inch Fe-doped Semi-insulating Gallium Nitride Single Crystal C plane (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 2 inch Silicon-doped N-type Gallium Nitride Single Crystal

£76500 Save £9300
Laser Diode Grade 2 inch Fe-doped Semi-insulating Gallium Nitride Single Crystal C plane (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 2 inch Undoped (UID) Gallium Nitride Single Crystal

£84600 Save £10200
2 inch Undoped N-Type GaN 20 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 2 inch Undoped N-Type GaN 20 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001)

£36700 Save £4400
2 inch Undoped N-type GaN 4 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 2 inch Undoped N-type GaN 4 um Gallium Nitride Template on Sapphire (0001)

£15300 Save £1900
Laser Diode Grade 2 inch Fe-doped Semi-insulating Gallium Nitride Single Crystal C plane (0001),  MSE Supplies

MSE PRO 4 inch Carbon-doped Semi-insulating Gallium Nitride Single Crystal

£1,40900 Save £16900