Non-polar (Al,B,In,Ga)N quantum well and heterostructure materials and devices

• US 20060278865A1
• Filed: 06/21/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James Stephen Speck, Michael D. Craven, Shuji Nakamura, Stacia Keller, Steven P. Denbaars, Tal Margalith, Umesh K. Mishra
• Original Assignee: James Stephen Speck, Michael D. Craven, Shuji Nakamura, Stacia Keller, Steven P. Denbaars, Tal Margalith, Umesh K. Mishra
• Inventors: DenBaars, Steven P., Keller, Stacia, Nakamura, Shuji, Mishra, Umesh K., Speck, James Stephen, Craven, Michael D., Margalith, Tal
• Granted Patent: US 7,982,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/14
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/02 Epitaxial-layer growth
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/04 Pattern deposit, e.g. by using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/105 by irradiation or electric discharge
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/18 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/406 Gallium nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/605 Products containing multiple oriented crystallites, e.g. columnar crystallites
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0237 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02433 Crystal orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02609 Crystal orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02639 Preparation of substrate for selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02647 Lateral overgrowth

Abstract

A method for forming non-polar (Al,B,In,Ga)N quantum well and heterostructure materials and devices. Non-polar (11{overscore (2)}0) a-plane GaN layers are grown on an r-plane (1{overscore (1)}02) sapphire substrate using MOCVD. These non-polar (11{overscore (2)}0) a-plane GaN layers comprise templates for producing non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well and heterostructure materials and devices.

Claims

1. A nitride semiconductor device, wherein the nitride semiconductor device is created using a process comprising:

(a) growing one or more non-polar a-plane GaN layers on an r-plane substrate; and

(b) growing one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers on the non-polar a-plane GaN layers.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a sapphire substrate.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate is selected from a group comprising silicon carbide, gallium nitride, silicon, zinc oxide, boron nitride, lithium aluminate, lithium niobate, germanium, aluminum nitride, and lithium gallate.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the grown non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers comprise at least one quantum well.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the quantum well comprises an InGaN quantum well.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the quantum well is capped with GaN.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the grown non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers comprise at least one heterostructure.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the heterostructure contains an (Al,Ga)N/GaN superlattice.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the growing step (a) comprises:

(1) annealing the substrate;

(2) depositing a nitride-based nucleation layer on the substrate;

(3) growing the non-polar a-plane gallium nitride films on the nucleation layer; and

(4) cooling the non-polar a-plane gallium nitride films under a nitrogen overpressure.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the growing steps are performed by a method selected from a group comprising metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), liquid phase epitaxy (LPE), hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE), sublimation, and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers comprise at least one heterostructure.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the heterostructure contains an (Al,Ga)N/GaN superlattice.

11. A nitride semiconductor device, comprising:

(a) one or more non-polar a-plane GaN layers grown on an r-plane substrate; and

(b) one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers grown on the non-polar a-plane GaN layers.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the substrate is a sapphire substrate.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the substrate is selected from a group comprising silicon carbide, gallium nitride, silicon, zinc oxide, boron nitride, lithium aluminate, lithium niobate, germanium, aluminum nitride, and lithium gallate.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers comprise at least one quantum well.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the quantum well comprises an InGaN quantum well.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the quantum well is capped with GaN.