CRYSTAL GROWTH OF M-PLANE AND SEMIPOLAR PLANES OF (Al, In, Ga, B)N ON VARIOUS SUBSTRATES

• US 20080163814A1
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Japan Science & Technology Trading Co. Limited
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Speck, James S., DenBaars, Steven P., Kim, Kwang Choong, Nakamura, Shuji, Schmidt, Mathew C., Wu, Feng, McLaurin, Melvin B., Hirai, Asako
• Application Number:
  US11/954,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20080163814A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 117/95
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/04 Pattern deposit, e.g. by using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02378 Silicon carbide
• 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 21/02636 Selective deposition, e.g. simultaneous growth of mono- and non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02639 Preparation of substrate for selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02647 Lateral overgrowth
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0265 Pendeoepitaxy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds

Abstract

A method of reducing threading dislocation densities in non-polar such as a- {11-20} plane and m-{1-100} plane or semi-polar such as {10-1n} plane III-Nitrides by employing lateral epitaxial overgrowth from sidewalls of etched template material through a patterned mask. The method includes depositing a patterned mask on a template material such as a non-polar or semi polar GaN template, etching the template material down to various depths through openings in the mask, and growing non-polar or semi-polar III-Nitride by coalescing laterally from the tops of the sidewalls before the vertically growing material from the trench bottoms reaches the tops of the sidewalls. The coalesced features grow through the openings of the mask, and grow laterally over the dielectric mask until a fully coalesced continuous film is achieved.

Claims

1. A method of reducing threading dislocation densities in a III-Nitride material, comprising:

growing a nucleation layer on a substrate;

growing a template layer on the nucleation layer, the template layer providing a crystal orientation;

depositing a mask on the template layer, the mask having a top surface;

etching the mask, the template layer, and the nucleation layer, wherein the crystal orientation is exposed on the template layer in a plurality of windows created by the etching;

growing a group-III nitride layer within the plurality of windows, wherein when the growth of the group-III nitride layer reaches the top surface, the group-III nitride layer grows along the top surface such that growth within a first window coalesces with growth of a second window at an intersection point to create a substantially planar upper surface of the group-III nitride layer; and

smoothing the substantially planar upper surface of the group-III nitride layer, such that the group-III nitride layer has a reduced number of threading dislocation densities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially planar upper surface of the group-III nitride layer is in an m-plane.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the group-III nitride layer is a non-polar material.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the group-III nitride layer growing laterally along the top surface of the mask blocks the group-III nitride material growing vertically from the windows.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the windows are aligned to create planar sidewalls in subsequent lateral growth steps.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the template layer has a thickness scaled relative to a size of the windows to compensate for competing lateral to vertical growth rates.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the etching is performed to one or more etch depths in order for the group-III nitride layer growing along the top surface to coalesce before the group-III nitride material growing within the windows completely reaches the tops of the sidewalls.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising changing a growth method of the group-III nitride layer after coalescence.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the group-III nitride layer is grown in a temperature range of 1000-1250 °

C. and in a reactor pressure in a range of 20-760 Torr.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the group-III nitride layer has a V/III ratio in a range of 100-3500 during different stages of the growth, and wherein a lateral growth rate is greater than a vertical growth rate.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

preventing growth from the bottoms of the trenches by depositing an additional mask on the bottoms of the trenches.

12. A device made using the method of claim 1.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a Root Mean Square (RMS) roughness of the upper surface of the group-III nitride layer is less than 13.8 nm.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein an overall area of the template layer has dislocation densities of less than 10⁹ cm⁻

2 and stacking fault densities of less than 10⁵ cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the group-III nitride layer is a non-polar material.