Thin and Flexible Gallium Nitride and Method of Making the Same

• US 20130140517A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation (Purdue University)
• Original Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation (Purdue University)
• Inventors: Wang, Yuefeng, Sands, Timothy, Tang, Liang, Manfra, Michael, Cheng, Gary
• Application Number:
  US13/538,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20130140517A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/9
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02002 Preparing wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6836 Wafer tapes, e.g. grinding or dicing support tapes adhesive tapes in general C09J7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/68368 used in a transfer process involving at least two transfer steps, i.e. including an intermediate handle substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/02 Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0676 oriented perpendicular or at an angle to a substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/70 Nanostructure

Abstract

A material for use in electronic circuits. The material includes a thin layer of gallium nitride (GaN), the thin layer of GaN produced in a high-volume production setting without mechanical planarization having a thickness of as low as 10 nm and a defect density as low as 10⁵ per cm².

Claims

1. A material for use in electronic circuits, comprising:

a thin layer of gallium nitride (GaN), the thin layer of GaN produced in a high-volume production setting without mechanical planarization having a thickness of as low as 10 nm and a defect density as low as 10⁵ per cm².

2. The material for use in electronic circuits of claim 1, the thin layer of GaN is configured to be separated from a support structure, the support structure is decomposed prior to the separation, and the support structure includes at least one layer containing indium.

3. The material for use in electronic circuits of claim 2, the separated thin layer of GaN is configured to be flexible.

4. The material for use in electronic circuits of claim 1, the thin layer of GaN is configured to be sheared from a support structure, the support structure is an epitaxial GaN structure, the epitaxial GaN structure has an adjustable and controllable thickness, and the thickness of the epitaxial GaN structure is as low as 50 nm.

5. The material for use in electronic circuits of claim 4, the epitaxial GaN structure includes a plurality of nanorods, the thickness of nanorods and the spacing between the nanorods is adjustable and controllable, the thickness of the nanorods is as low as 5 nm, and the spacing between the nanorods is as low as 5 nm.

6. The material for use in electronic circuits of claim 4, the shearing of epitaxial GaN structure is performed by one of mechanical disruption, optical disruption, thermal disruption, and chemical disruption.

7. The material for use in electronic circuits of claim 4, the sheared thin layer of GaN is configured to be flexible.

8. The material for use in electronic circuits of claim 1, further comprising an epitaxial GaN structure grown on the thin layer of GaN, the epitaxial GaN structure has an adjustable and controllable thickness, and the thickness of the epitaxial GaN structure is as low as 50 nm.

9. The material for use in electronic circuits of claim 8, the epitaxial GaN structure includes a plurality of pores, the diameter of each pore and the spacing between the pores is adjustable and controllable, the thickness of the pores is as low as 5 nm, and the spacing between the pores is as low as 5 nm.

10. The material for use in electronic circuits of claim 9, the combination of the thin layer of GaN and the epitaxial GaN structure is configured to be separated from a support structure, the support structure is disrupted prior to the separation, and the support structure includes at least one layer containing indium.

11. The material for use in electronic circuits of claim 10, the separated combination of the thin layer of GaN and the epitaxial GaN structure is configured to be flexible.

12. A method of making a material for use in electronic circuits produced in a high-volume production setting, comprising:

forming a thick buffer layer of gallium nitride (GaN) on a substrate;

forming a support structure on the thick buffer layer of GaN;

forming a thin epilayer of GaN on top of the support structure;

disrupting the support structure substantially without causing defects in the thin epilayer of GaN; and

removing the thin epilayer of GaN from the disrupted support structure,

the thin epilayer of GaN having a thickness of as low as 10 nm and a defect density as low as 10⁵ per cm².

13. The method of claim 12, the support structure includes at least one layer containing indium.

14. The method of claim 13, the support structure is disrupted by irradiating the support structure with laser, the laser is configured to be absorbed by the support structure and not by GaN.

15. The method of claim 14, the steps of forming the support structure, forming the thin epilayer of GaN, disrupting the support structure, and removing the thin epilayer of GaN are repeated a plurality of times to generate a plurality of removed thin epilayers of GaN.

16. The method of claim 12, forming the support structure includes:

forming a plurality of nanorods according to a template, the thickness of the template being adjustable and controllable and as low as 50 nm, the thickness of the nanorods and the spacing between the nanorods being adjustable and controllable, the thickness of the nanorods being as low as 5 nm, and the spacing between the nanorods being as low as 5 nm.

17. The method of claim 16, the steps of forming the support structure, forming the thin epilayer of GaN, disrupting the support structure, and removing the thin epilayer of GaN are repeated a plurality of times to generate a plurality of removed thin epilayers of GaN.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming an epitaxial GaN structure on the thin epilayer of GaN, the epitaxial GaN structure having a controllable and adjustable thickness, the epitaxial GaN structure includes a plurality of pores, the diameter of the pores and the spacing between the pores being adjustable and controllable, the diameter of the pores is as low as 5 nm, and the spacing between the pores is as low as 5 nm.

19. The method of claim 18, the step of removing the thin epilayer of GaN includes removing the combination of the thin epilayer of GaN and the epitaxial GaN structure.

20. The method of claim 19, forming the epitaxial GaN structure includes growing the epitaxial GaN structure according to a formed template.

21. The method of claim 20, the formation of the template includes:

forming a layer of metal oxide on the thin epilayer of GaN;

anodizing the layer of metal oxide forming a first template structure;

forming a second template structure defined by a nanowire array according to the first template structure;

removing the first template structure;

growing the epitaxial GaN structure according to the second template structure; and

removing the second template structure.

22. The method of claim 21, the metal oxide is one of aluminum oxide and titanium oxide.

23. The method of claim 22, the steps of forming the support structure, forming the thin epilayer of GaN, forming the epitaxial GaN structure, disrupting the support structure, removing the thin epilayer of GaN are repeated a plurality of times to generate a plurality of removed thin epilayers of GaN.

24. The method of claim 19, forming the epitaxial GaN structure includes etching the epitaxial GaN structure according to a formed template.

25. The method of claim 24, the formation of the template includes:

forming a layer of metal oxide on the thin epilayer of GaN;

anodizing the layer of metal oxide forming a first template structure;

etching the thin epilayer of GaN according to the first template structure; and

removing the first template structure.

26. The method of claim 17, the metal oxide is one of aluminum oxide and titanium oxide.

27. The method of claim 26, the steps of forming the support structure, forming the thin epilayer of GaN, forming the epitaxial GaN structure, disrupting the support structure, removing the thin epilayer of GaN are repeated a plurality of times to generate a plurality of removed thin epilayers of GaN.