Applications of molecular beam epitaxy in optoelectronic devices: an overview

Abstract

Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) is a crystal growth technique used to manufacture ultra-thin semiconducting layers with nearly flawless control over layer their compositions, dimensions, and doping concentrations. Initially, this growth technique has been extensively employed to III-V semiconducting alloys. MBE has found widespread application in the growth of semiconducting compounds (i.e., silicon, germanium, II-VI, IV-VI), dielectrics, epitaxial metallic films, as well as superconducting materials. For a comprehensive overview of MBE, in this work, we will first go over some of the fundamentals of MBE, followed by its brief history, and its significance in the production of various electronic and optoelectronic devices, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs) photodiodes/photodetectors, and solar cells.