Abstract :
Based on arsenides, phosphides and more recently also on nitrides and antimonides the portfolio of III-V semiconductor devices is large. Solid solution and heterostructuring enable high versatility in electronic and optoelectronic characteristics. Lattice matched, pseudomorphic, metamorphic HEMTs, HBTs with tunneling emitters, resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) with large peak-to-valley ratios, high-modulation, tunable and surface emitting laser diodes, high-power diode lasers, MSM and PIN photodiodes, quantum well infrared photodiodes (QWIPs), blue emitters, high-brightness LEDs, SEED and VSTEP devices are basic constituents of microwave/mm-wave, optoelectronic and high speed/low power consuption components which enable novel system realizations not possible before. Applicability of III-V devices depends on the ease of interplaying with a silicon world, their integratability to ICs of higher functionality as well as on reliability and cost-effective manufacturing.
