A Review of Liquid Phase Epitaxial Grown Gallium Arsenide

Liquid phase epitaxy of gallium arsenide (LPE GaAs) has been investigated intensively from the late 1960's to the present and has now a special place in the manufacture of wide band, compound semiconductor radiation detectors. Although this particular process appears to have gained prominence in the last three decades, it is interesting to note that its origins reach back to 1836 when Frankenheim made his first observations. A brief review is presented from a semiconductor applications point of view on how this subject developed. This is followed by a report on LPE GaAs growth at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).