A Pathway to High-Quality Heteroepitaxial Ga₂O₃ Films via Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition

This work systematically investigates the heteroepitaxial growth of β-Ga₂O₃ thin films under varied substrate and temperature conditions via metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Comprehensive characterization reveals that both the substrate type and growth temperature significantly influence the crystalline quality, surface morphology, chemical composition, and defect structure. Films grown at higher temperatures generally exhibit superior crystallinity and closer-to-stoichiometry composition, and thus suggest a reduction in oxygen deficiency. Certain substrates are shown to facilitate high-quality epitaxial growth with smooth surfaces and excellent crystallographic alignment. These findings offer key insights into optimizing growth parameters for high-performance β-Ga₂O₃-based devices.