Selective epitaxial growth of GaAs was carried out by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition at atmospheric pressure, using SiO2 masks. A deposition-free region was clearly observed along the edge of the masks. The surface concentration of the reactant species on the masks was analyzed by using a surface diffusion model, and a new method was proposed for estimating the surface diffusion length. The surface diffusion lengths on the SiO2 mask was 0.45 at 610C. The surface diffusion length increased upon decreasing the substrate temperature, and became longer on masks which had been ion-bombarded.

K.Yamaguchi, M.Ogasawara, K.Okamoto: Journal of Applied Physics, 1992, 72[12], 5919-25