Linear motion oven for variable incident group III flux

We report on the design, construction, and implementation of the linear motion oven (LIMO), a translatable, elemental source for the generation of thermal molecular and atomic beams of varying incident flux at a fixed position substrate during vapor deposition processing. The robust and smooth relationship between oven position and incident flux, combined with the ease of rapidly and controllably varying the LIMO position, enables three important advances in vapor deposition technology. As demonstrated for an indium atomic beam source in a III–V molecular beam epitaxy growth process, the LIMO is found to provide for (1) controlled production of compositionally graded structures, (2) improved uniformity of flux at the substrate, and (3) complete elimination of conventionally troublesome flux transients.