Elemental and Compound Semiconductor Devices Today and Beyond: Influence of Advanced Epitaxial Processes

摘要

This paper attempts to describe the advances of epitaxy of elemental and compound semiconductors and their impact on new physics, effects and applications of new devices. The impact of the recent epitaxy on material research is truly revolutionary. However, the scope is too immense to cover in a limited space and time. In lieu of the detailed descriptions of the epitaxial processes, the author will highlight the most important substances of the advance. Several examples of newly discovered effects and new devices based on the artificially structured materials that are made possible by the advanced epitaxial techniques will be presented. These examples are by no means exclusive and many other important ones are inadvertently omitted owing to the limited space and preferential interests of the author. Finally, some on-going research efforts as well as possible directions of further development of thin film epitaxy are discussed.