III–V semiconductor devices grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition—The development of the Swiss Army Knife for semiconductor epitaxial growth

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) epitaxial materials technology for the growth of compound semiconductors has been developed over the past 60-plus years to become the dominant process for both research and production of light-emitting devices as well as many other electronic and optoelectronic devices. Today, MOCVD has become the “Swiss Army Knife” of semiconductor epitaxial growth, covering a wide variety of compound semiconductors and device applications. Because of the flexibility and control offered by this process and the material quality produced by MOCVD, many important III–V semiconductor devices have become commercially viable. This paper attempts to provide a personal view of the early development of MOCVD and some brief historical discussion of this important and highly versatile materials technology for the growth of high-quality devices employing ultrathin layers and heterojunctions of III–V compound semiconductors, e.g., quantum-well lasers, light-emitting diodes, heterojunction solar cells, transistors, and photonic integrated circuits.