LATTICE MATCHING LAYER FOR USE IN A MULTILAYER SUBSTRATE STRUCTURE

• US 20130333611A1
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tivra Corporation
• Original Assignee: Tivra Corporation
• Inventors: De, Indranil, Machuca, Francisco
• Application Number:
  US13/794,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20130333611A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 117/6
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 1/02 by thermal treatment, e.g. strain annealing C30B1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 1/12 by pressure treatment during the growth
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 11/14 characterised by the seed, e.g. its crystallographic orientation
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 13/34 characterised by the seed, e.g. by its crystallographic orientation
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 15/007 Pulling on a substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 19/12 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 23/02 Epitaxial-layer growth
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 23/025 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 23/066 Heating of the material to be evaporated
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 23/08 by condensing ionised vapours by reactive sputtering C30B25/06
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/02 Epitaxial-layer growth
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/06 by reactive sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/183 being provided with a buffer layer, e.g. a lattice matching layer
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/40 AIIIBV compounds wherein A is B, Al, Ga, In or Tl and B is N, P, As, Sb or Bi
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/52 Alloys
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 30/02 using electric fields, e.g. electrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0237 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02436 Intermediate layers between substrates and deposited layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02439 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02488 : Insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02502 : consisting of two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 : Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/205 : in different semiconductor regions , e.g. heterojunctions

Abstract

A lattice matching layer for use in a multilayer substrate structure comprises a lattice matching layer. The lattice matching layer includes a first chemical element and a second chemical element. Each of the first and second chemical elements has a hexagonal close-packed structure at room temperature that transforms to a body-centered cubic structure at an α-β phase transition temperature higher than the room temperature. The hexagonal close-packed structure of the first chemical element has a first lattice parameter. The hexagonal close-packed structure of the second chemical element has a second lattice parameter. The second chemical element is miscible with the first chemical element to form an alloy with a hexagonal close-packed structure at the room temperature. A lattice constant of the alloy is approximately equal to a lattice constant of a member of group III-V compound semiconductors.

Claims

1. A lattice matching layer for use in a multilayer substrate structure, the lattice matching layer including:

a first chemical element, the first chemical element having a hexagonal close-packed structure at room temperature that transforms to a body-centered cubic structure at an α

-β

phase transition temperature higher than the room temperature, the hexagonal close-packed structure of the first chemical element having a first lattice parameter; and

a second chemical element, the second chemical element having a hexagonal close-packed structure at room temperature with similar chemical properties to the first chemical element, the hexagonal close-packed structure of the second chemical element having a second lattice parameter, the second chemical element being miscible with the first chemical element to form an alloy with a hexagonal close-packed structure at the room temperature,

wherein a lattice constant of the alloy is approximately equal to a lattice constant of a member of group III-V compound semiconductors.

2. The lattice matching layer of claim 1, wherein a linear relation exists between the first and second chemical elements and their associated lattice parameters at constant temperature to allow lattice constant of the alloy approximately equal to that of the member of group III-V compound semiconductors.

3. The lattice matching layer of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and the second chemical elements belongs to group four elements in periodic table.

4. The lattice matching layer of claim 1, wherein mole fraction of atomic percentage of the first chemical element to the second chemical element is about 14% to 86%.

5. The lattice matching layer of claim 1, wherein mole fraction of atomic percentage of the first chemical element to the second chemical element is about 43% to 57%.

6. The lattice matching layer of claim 1, wherein mole fraction of atomic percentage of the first chemical element to the second chemical element is about 99% to 1%.

7. The lattice matching layer of claim 1 further comprising a third chemical element, wherein the third chemical element has a hexagonal close-packed structure at the room temperature with similar chemical properties to the first and second chemical elements, the hexagonal close-packed structure of the third chemical element having a third lattice parameter, the third chemical element being miscible with the first and second chemical elements to form the alloy, a linear relation exists between the first, second and third chemical elements and their associated lattice parameters at constant temperature to allow lattice constant of the alloy approximately equal to that of the member of group III-V compound semiconductors.

8. The lattice matching layer of claim 1, wherein the coefficient of thermal expansion of the alloy along a plane is approximately equal to that of the member of group III-V compound semiconductors along the same plane.

9. The lattice matching layer of claim 1, wherein the group III-V compound semiconductor comprises one of aluminum nitride (AlN), gallium nitride (GaN), indium gallium nitride (InGaN) and indium nitride (InN).

10. The lattice matching layer of claim 1, wherein the lattice matching layer has a thickness in a range of 5 nm to 50 nm.

11. A method of fabricating a lattice matching layer, comprising:

a first chemical element, the first chemical element having a hexagonal close-packed structure at room temperature which transforms to a body-centered cubic structure at an α

-β

phase transition temperature higher than the room temperature, the hexagonal close-packed structure of the first chemical element having a first lattice parameter; and

a second chemical element, the second chemical element having a hexagonal close-packed structure at room temperature with similar chemical properties to the first chemical element, the hexagonal close-packed structure of the second chemical element having a second lattice parameter, the second chemical element being miscible with the first chemical element to form an alloy with hexagonal close-packed structure at room temperature,

wherein lattice constant of the alloy is approximately equal to lattice constant of a member of group III-V compound semiconductors.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising interpolating the coefficient of thermal expansion of the first chemical element and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the second chemical element along a plane to arrive at a first order estimate of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the alloy along the same plane, wherein the coefficient of thermal expansion of the alloy is about that of the member of group III-V compound semiconductors along the same plane.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising heating the lattice matching layer below the α

-β

phase transition temperature to allow epitaxial growth of an epitaxy layer on the lattice matching layer in the a phase.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising heating the lattice matching layer above the α

-β

phase transition temperature and immediately dropping below α

-β

phase transition temperature to invoke generating phase transition free energy to crystallize large lateral areas resulting in a single crystal a-phase in the lattice matching layer.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising growing the lattice matching layer by one of vacuum evaporation, sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy and pulsed laser deposition, atmospheric chemical vapor deposition, and atomic layer deposition.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising growing the lattice matching layer on a substrate and fabricating the substrate using one of Czochralski, float zone (FZ), directional solidification (DS) zone melt recrystallization (ZMR), sintering, isostatic pressing, electro-chemical plating and plasma torch deposition.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising growing the lattice matching layer on an amorphous layer, wherein the amorphous layer comprises one of silicon dioxide, tantalum nitride, boronitride, tungsten nitride, silicon nitride, glassy amorphous carbon and silicate glass.

18. A lattice matching layer for use in a multilayer substrate structure comprising a lattice matching layer, the lattice matching layer including:

a first chemical element, the first chemical element having a hexagonal close-packed structure at room temperature, the hexagonal close-packed structure of the first chemical element having a first lattice parameter; and

a second chemical element, the second chemical element having a hexagonal close-packed structure at room temperature with similar chemical properties to the first chemical element, the hexagonal close-packed structure of the second chemical element having a second lattice parameter, the second chemical element being miscible with the first chemical element to form an alloy with hexagonal close-packed structure at room temperature,

wherein a linear relation exists between the first and second chemical elements and their associated lattice parameters at constant temperature to allow lattice constant of the alloy approximately equal to that of a member of group III-V compound semiconductor.