Semiconductor structure and method of preparing semiconductor structure

• US 10,535,739 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2017
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enkris Semiconductor, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Enkris Semiconductor, Inc.
• Inventors: Cheng, Kai, Xiang, Peng
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thao P
• Application Number:
  US16/099,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20190214467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02507 Alternating layers, e.g. superlattice
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/562 Protection against mechanical damage H01L23/02, H01L23/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/15 Structures with periodic or quasi periodic potential variation, e.g. multiple quantum wells, superlattices such structures applied for the control of light G02F1/017, applied in semiconductor lasers H01S5/34
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/155 Comprising only semiconductor materials H01L29/154 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/205 in different semiconductor regions , e.g. heterojunctions

Abstract

The invention provides a semiconductor structure and a method of preparing a semiconductor structure, which solves the problems of easy cracking, large warpage and large dislocation density which exist in epitaxial growth of a semiconductor compound epitaxial structure on a substrate in the prior art. The semiconductor structure includes: a substrate; at least one periodic structure disposed over the substrate; wherein each of the periodic structures includes at least one period, each period including a first periodic layer and a second periodic layer which are sequentially stacked in an epitaxial direction; wherein the thickness of the nth periodic structure is smaller than the thickness of the (n+1)th periodic structure, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

Claims

1. A semiconductor structure, characterized in that, the semiconductor structure includes:

a substrate;

at least a periodic structure disposed above said substrate;

wherein the materials of said periodic structures are III-V group compounds, each said periodic structure includes at least one period, each said period includes a first periodic layer and a second periodic layer which are sequentially stacked in an epitaxial direction;

wherein said first periodic layer includes a first III group element, a second III group element and a first V group element, said second periodic layer includes said first III group element, said second III group element and said first V group element;

or, said first periodic layer includes said first III group element and said first V group element, said second periodic layer includes said first III group element, said second III group element and said first V group element;

wherein the atomic number of said first III element is smaller than the atomic number of said second III element;

wherein the thickness of the nth periodic structure is smaller than the thickness of the (n+1)th periodic structure, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

2. The semiconductor structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, said first III group element is Al, said second III group element is Ga, and said first V group element is N.

3. The semiconductor structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, the number of periods of said nth periodic structure is less than the number of periods of said (n+1)th periodic structure.

4. The semiconductor structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, the thickness of said first periodic layer of said nth periodic structure in the epitaxial direction in said at least one periodic structure is greater than the thickness of said first periodic layer of said (n+1)th periodic structure, the thickness of said second periodic layer of said nth periodic structure is equal to the thickness of said second periodic layer of said (n+1)th periodic structure;

or

in said at least one periodic structure, the thickness of said first periodic layer of said nth periodic structure in the epitaxial direction is equal to the thickness of said first periodic layer of said (n+1)th periodic structure, and the thickness of said second periodic layer of said nth periodic structure is smaller than the thickness of said second periodic layer of said (n+1)th periodic structure;

or

in said at least one periodic structure, the thickness of said first periodic layer of said nth periodic structure in the epitaxial direction is greater than the thickness of said first periodic layer of said (n+1)th periodic structure, and the thickness of said second periodic layer of said nth periodic structure is less than the thickness of said second periodic layer of said (n+1)th periodic structure.

5. The semiconductor structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, the thickness of said second periodic layer is greater than the thickness of said first periodic layer in the same periodic structure.

6. The semiconductor structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, further including:

a nucleation layer disposed between said substrate and the first one of said periodic structures.

7. The semiconductor structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, said nucleation layer includes one or more of AlN, AlGaN.

8. The semiconductor structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, further including:

a component active layer disposed over said at least one periodic structure.

9. The semiconductor structure according to claim 8, characterized in that, said component active layer includes one or more of GaN, AlGaN, AlInGaN.

10. A method of preparing a semiconductor structure, characterized in that, including:

preparing at least one periodic structure over a substrate;

wherein the materials of said periodic structures are III-V group compounds, each said periodic structure includes at least one period, each said period includes a first periodic layer and a second periodic layer which are sequentially stacked in an epitaxial direction;

wherein said first periodic layer includes a first III group element, a second III group element and a first V group element, said second periodic layer includes said first III group element, said second III group element and said first V group element;

or, said first periodic layer includes said first III group element and said first V group element, said second periodic layer includes said first III group element, said second III group element and said first V group element;

wherein the atomic number of said first III element is smaller than the atomic number of said second III element;

wherein the thickness of the nth periodic structure is smaller than the thickness of the (n+1)th periodic structure, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 1.