A sub-atmospheric pressure gas enhanced (SAGE(TM)) arsine source and delivery system has been evaluated and found to meet the flow rate and gas purity requirements of metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) processes. Gas delivery at 80 kPa and with flow rates up to 10 slpm have been accomplished using a specially developed extractor unit. AlGaAs double hetero structures grown with SAGE and high-pressure (HP) arsine sources have been characterized by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to verify gas purity. SAGE arsine was found to be equivalent to the HP arsine reference. with regard to oxygen incorporation, provided the recommended SAGE delivery system startup procedures were adhered to. Cylinder depletion studies also showed that the moisture concentration in SAGE arsine slowly decreases over the cylinder lifetime, whereas in HP arsine, it rises as the last third of the cylinder is consumed. These findings; together with the enhanced safety features and potential for scale up, make SAGE technology particularly attractive for routine production of commercial devices. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.