TECHNIQUE FOR THE GROWTH AND FABRICATION OF SEMIPOLAR (GA,AL,IN,B)N THIN FILMS, HETEROSTRUCTURES, AND DEVICES

• US 20110062449A1
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Science And Technology Agency, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Japan Science And Technology Agency, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Speck, James S., Sharma, Rajat, Baker, Troy J., DenBaars, Steven P., Farrell, Robert M. JR., Haskell, Benjamin A., Nakamura, Shuji, Mishra, Umesh Kumar, Chakraborty, Arpan, Pattison, P. Morgan
• Granted Patent: US 8,686,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/76
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 23/025 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/18 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02389 Nitrides
• 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 33/0004 Devices characterised by their operation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0062 for devices with an active region comprising only III-V compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/02 characterised by the semiconductor bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2304/04 MOCVD or MOVPE
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0422 with n- and p-contacts on the same side of the active layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04257 having positive and negative electrodes on the same side of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2201 in a specific crystallographic orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/320275 semi-polar orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 : with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser

Abstract

A method for growth and fabrication of semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices, comprising identifying desired material properties for a particular device application, selecting a semipolar growth orientation based on the desired material properties, selecting a suitable substrate for growth of the selected semipolar growth orientation, growing a planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N template or nucleation layer on the substrate, and growing the semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N thin films, heterostructures or devices on the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N template or nucleation layer. The method results in a large area of the semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices being parallel to the substrate surface.

Claims

1. A semiconductor film, comprising:

one or more planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers grown on a surface of a substrate or on a template layer pre-deposited on the substrate, wherein an area and quality of the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers parallel to the surface of the substrate or template layer are sufficient to fabricate a semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N device.

2. The film of claim 1, wherein the substrate or template layer is selected based on desired material properties for the semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N device, and the substrate or template layer determine a semipolar orientation for the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers.

3. The film of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a gallium nitride (GaN) substrate.

4. The film of claim 1, wherein the template comprises a semipolar gallium nitride (GaN) template layer.

5. The film of claim 1, wherein the substrate is grown on a foreign material.

6. The film of claim 1, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers form a heterostructure.

7. The film of claim 1, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers emit light with a reduced blue-shift in an emission peak with increasing drive current, as compared to polar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers operating in similar wavelength and drive current ranges.

8. The film of claim 1, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers emit light with a reduced decrease in the external quantum efficiency (EQE) with increasing drive current, as compared to polar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers operating in similar wavelength and drive current ranges.

9. The film of claim 1, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers have reduced polarization effects and effective hole masses, as compared to polar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers operating in similar wavelength and drive current ranges.

10. The film of claim 1, wherein the semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N device comprises:

a blue light emitting semipolar LED on a {10 11} GaN template on {100} spinel,

a green light emitting semipolar LED on a {10 13} GaN template on {1 100} sapphire, or

a blue light emitting semipolar LED on a {10 13} GaN template on {100} spinel.

11. A method for fabricating a semiconductor film, comprising:

growing one or more planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers on a surface of a substrate or on a template layer pre-deposited on the substrate, wherein an area and quality of the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers parallel to the surface of the substrate or template layer are sufficient to fabricate a semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the substrate or template layer is selected based on desired material properties for the semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N device, and the substrate or template layer determine a semipolar orientation for the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the substrate is a gallium nitride (GaN) substrate.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the template comprises a semipolar gallium nitride (GaN) template layer.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the substrate is grown on a foreign material.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers form a heterostructure.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers emit light with a reduced blue-shift in an emission peak with increasing drive current, as compared to polar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers operating in similar wavelength and drive current ranges.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers emit light with a reduced decrease in the external quantum efficiency (EQE) with increasing drive current, as compared to polar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers operating in similar wavelength and drive current ranges.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers have reduced polarization effects and effective hole masses, as compared to polar (Ga, Al, In, B)N layers operating in similar wavelength and drive current ranges.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the semipolar (Ga, Al, In, B)N device comprises:

a blue light emitting semipolar LED on a {10 11} GaN template on {100} spinel,

a green light emitting semipolar LED on a {10 13} GaN template on {1 100} sapphire, or

a blue light emitting semipolar LED on a {10 13} GaN template on {100} spinel.

21. A device fabricated using the method of claim 11.