Method for making cleaved facets for lasers fabricated with gallium nitride and other noncubic materials

• US 5,985,687 A
• Filed: 04/12/1996
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Sink, R. Kehl, Bowers, John E., Denbaars, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fahmy, Wael M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Long
• Application Number:
  US08/630,675
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 438/29, 438/33, 438/46, 438/68, 438/455, 438/458, 438/459, 438/967, 438/971, 438/464, 438/93, 438/94, 438/FOR 289, 438/FOR 294, 438/FOR 334, 438/FOR 386 , 438/FOR 445, 438/FOR 485, 148/DIG. 12, 148/DIG. 13, 148/DIG. 28, 148/DIG. 95, 148/DIG. 110, 148/DIG. 113, 148/DIG. 135, 148/DIG. 72, 148/DIG. 97, 372/45, 372/46, 372/47
• US Class Current: 438/46
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/68363 used in a transfer process involving transfer directly from an origin substrate to a target substrate without use of an intermediate handle substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0201 Separation of the wafer into individual elements, e.g. by dicing, cleaving, etching or directly during growth
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0202 Cleaving
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32341 blue laser based on GaN or GaP
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/967 Semiconductor on specified insulator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/977 Thinning or removal of substrate

Abstract

Optically flat cleaved facet mirrors are fabricated in GaN epitaxial films grown on sapphire by wafer fusing a GaN film with a sapphire substrate to a cubic substrate such as an InP or GaAs substrate. The sapphire substrate may then partially or entirely removed by lapping, dry etching, or wet etching away a sacrificial layer disposed in the interface between the sapphire substrate and the GaN layer. Thereafter, the cubic InP or GaN substrate is cleaved to produce the cubic crystal facet parallel to the GaN layer in which active devices are fabricated for use in lasers, photodetectors, light emitting diodes and other optoelectronic devices.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a cleaved facet along a vertical plane in a noncubic material epitaxially grown on a surface of a noncubic substrate, said vertical plane being perpendicular to said surface of said noncubic substrate comprising:

epitaxially growing a noncubic layer on said noncubic substrate;

fusing said epitaxially grown noncubic layer to a second substrate having said vertical plane as a cleavage plane; and

cleaving said second substrate along said vertical plane,

whereby an optically flat vertical reflecting plane is fabricated in said layer epitaxially grown on said noncubic substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 where epitaxially growing said noncubic layer on said noncubic substrate comprises epitaxially growing a metallic nitride on sapphire.

3. The method of claim 2 where fusing said epitaxially grown noncubic layer to a second substrate comprises fusing a GaAs substrate to an epitaxially grown GaN layer.

4. The method of claim 2 where fusing said cubic substrate to said epitaxially grown layer comprises fusing an InP substrate to said epitaxially grown GaN layer.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing at least part of said noncubic substrate comprises lapping said noncubic substrate to a selected thinness.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein Expitaxially growing said layer on said noncubic substrate comprises first epitaxially growing a buffer layer on said noncubic substrate and then epitaxially growing a device layer on said noncubic substrate.

9. The method of claim 8 where epitaxially growing said buffer device layer comprises epitaxially growing a GaN buffer and device layers on a sapphire substrate.

6. A method for fabricating a cleaved facet along a vertical plane in a noncubic material epitaxially grown on a surface of a noncubic substrate, said vertical plane being perpendicular to said surface of said noncubic substrate, comprising:

epitaxially growing a noncubic layer on said noncubic substrate;

fusing said epitaxially grown noncubic layer to a second substrate which has said vertical plane as a cleavage plane; and

cleaving said second substrate along said vertical plane,

removing at least part of said noncubic substrate by etching away said noncubic substrate,

whereby an optically flat vertical reflecting plane is fabricated in said layer epitaxially grown on said noncubic substrate.

7. A method for fabricating a cleaved facet along a vertical plane in a noncubic material epitaxially grown on a surface of a noncubic substrate, said vertical plane being perpendicular to said surface of said noncubic substrate, comprising;

epitaxially growing a noncubic layer on said noncubic substrate;

fusing said epitaxially grown noncubic layer to a second substrate which has said vertical plane as a cleavage plane; and

cleaving said second substrate along said vertical plane,

disposing a sacrificial layer on said noncubic substrate prior to epitaxially growing said layer thereon and further comprising removing at least part of said noncubic substrate by wet etching away said sacrificial layer,

whereby an optically flat vertical reflecting plane is fabricated in said layer epitaxially grown on said noncubic substrate.

10. A method for fabricating a cleaved facet along a vertical plane in a noncubic material epitaxially grown on a surface of a noncubic substrate, said vertical plane being perpendicular to said surface of said noncubic substrate, comprising:

epitaxially growing a noncubic layer on said noncubic substrate;

fusing said epitaxially grown noncubic layer to a second substrate which has said vertical lane as a cleavage lane; and

cleaving said second substrate along a vertical plane; and

wherein Expitaxially growing said layer on said noncubic substrate comprises first epitaxially growing a buffer layer on said noncubic substrate and then epitaxially growing a device layer on said noncubic substrate,

epitaxially growing a fusion layer on said device layer,

whereby an optically flat vertical reflecting plane is fabricated in said layer epitaxially grown on said noncubic substrate.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein epitaxially growing said fusion layer comprises epitaxially growing an In₂ Ga_1-x N fusion layer on said device layer, where x is a number between 0 and 1 inclusive.

12. A method for fabricating a cleaved facet along a vertical plane in a noncubic material epitaxially grown on a surface of a noncubic substrate, said vertical plane being perpendicular to said surface of said noncubic substrate, comprising:

epitaxially growing a noncubic layer on said noncubic substrate;

fusing said epitaxially grown noncubic layer to a second substrate which has said vertical plane as a cleavage plane; and

cleaving said second substrate along said vertical plane; and

wherein Expitaxially growing said layer on said noncubic substrate comprises first epitaxially growing a buffer layer on said noncubic substrate and then epitaxially growing a device layer on said noncubic substrate,

where epitaxially growing said buffer device layer comprises epitaxially growing a GaN buffer and device layers on a sapphire substrate and further comprises epitaxially growing a fusion layer on said device layer,

whereby an optically flat vertical reflecting plane is fabricated in said layer epitaxially grown on said noncubic substrate.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein epitaxially growing said fusion layer comprises epitaxially growing an In_x N_1-x fusion layer on said device layer, where x is a number between 0 and 1 inclusive.

14. An improvement in a method for fabricating mirror facets in a photonic device comprising:

epitaxially growing an active device layer on a surface of a noncubic substrate;

wafer fusing said epitaxially grown active device layer to an oriented substrate to provide a fused structure, said oriented substrate having a vertical cleavage plane perpendicular to said surface of said noncubic substrate; and

cleaving said fused structure to obtain a cleaved vertical plane through said fused structure,

whereby an optically flat mirror surface for said photonic device is obtained.

15. The improvement of claim 14 where wafer fusing said epitaxially grown active device layer to said oriented substrate wafer fuses said active device layer to a GaAs substrate.

16. The improvement of claim 14 where wafer fusing said epitaxially grown active device layer to said oriented substrate fuses said active device layer to an InP substrate.

17. The improvement of claim 14 where epitaxially growing said active device layer on said noncubic substrate comprises epitaxially growing a GaN layer on said substrate.

19. The improvement of claim 14 further comprising removing at least a portion of said sapphire substrate comprises thinning said sapphire substrate prior to cleaving said fused structure to reduce influence of sapphire bond strength on said cleaved facet.

18. An improvement in a method for fabricating mirror facets in a photonic device comprising:

epitaxially growing an active device layer on a surface of a noncubic substrate;

wafer fusing said epitaxially grown active device layer to an oriented substrate to provide a fused structure, said oriented substrate having a vertical cleavage plane perpendicular to said surface of said noncubic substrate; and

cleaving said fused structure to obtain a cleaved vertical plane through said fused structure,

where epitaxially growing said active device layer on said noncubic substrate comprises epitaxially growing a In_x Ga_1-x N/In_y Ga_1-y N multiple quantum well layer on said substrate, where x and y are each numbers between 0 and 1 inclusive,

whereby an optically flat mirror surface for said photonic device is obtained.

20. An improvement in a method for fabricating mirror facets in a photonic device comprising:

epitaxially growing an active device layer on a surface of a noncubic substrate;

wafer fusing said epitaxially grown active device layer to an oriented substrate to provide a fused structure, said oriented substrate having a cleavage plane perpendicular to said surface of said noncubic substrate; and

cleaving said fused structure to obtain a vertical cleaved plane through said fused structure,

where epitaxially growing said active device layer on said sapphire substrate comprises first epitaxially growing a nucleation layer at a first temperature and thereafter growing a thicker active device layer at a second higher temperature,

whereby an optically flat mirror surface for said photonic device is obtained.

21. An improvement in a method for fabricating mirror facets in a photonic device comprising:

epitaxially growing an active device layer on a surface of a noncubic substrate;

wafer fusing said epitaxially grown active device layer to an oriented substrate to provide a fused structure, said oriented substrate having a vertical cleavage plane perpendicular to said surface of said noncubic substrate; and

cleaving said fused structure to obtain a a vertical cleaved plane through said fused structure,

defining a plurality of channels in said oriented substrate prior to fusing to permit fluid escape from an interface defined in said fused structure between said active device layer and said oriented substrate during fusing of said active device layer and oriented substrate,

whereby an optically flat mirror surface for said photonic device is obtained.

22. A method for fabricating a p-type electrical contact on a layer of metallic nitride comprising:

disposing said metallic nitride layer on a first substrate;

disposing a p-type fusion layer on a second substrate;

fusing said metallic nitride to said p-type fusion layer on said second substrate;

removing at least part of said second substrate to form an opening for an electrical contact to said metallic nitride layer; and

forming an electrical contact in said opening,

whereby a reduced resistance contact is provided to said metallic nitride layer.

23. The method of claim 22 where disposing said metallic nitride layer on a first substrate comprises epitaxially growing said metallic nitride layer on said first substrate.

24. The method of claim 23 where epitaxially growing said metallic nitride layer on said first substrate comprises epitaxially growing p-type GaN on a sapphire substrate.

25. The method of claim 22 where disposing a p-type fusion layer on a second substrate comprises disposing a p-type InGaAs layer on an InP substrate.

26. The method of claim 25 where disposing a p-type InGaAs layer on an InP substrate further comprises disposing a p-type InP fusion layer between said p-type InGaAs layer and said p-type GaN layer.

27. The method of claim 22 where disposing a p-type fusion layer on a second substrate comprises disposing a p-type AlGaAs fusion layer on said second substrate, and where disposing said metallic nitride layer on a first substrate comprises disposing a p-type GaN layer on said first substrate.

28. A method for activating a p-type dopant in a metallic nitride layer comprising:

disposing a p-type doped metallic nitride layer on a first substrate;

disposing a fusion layer on a second substrate;

fusing said p-type doped metallic nitride layer to said fusion layer on said second substrate; and

simultaneously annealing said p-type doped metallic nitride layer while fusing said p-type doped metallic nitride layer to said fusion on said second substrate to inhibit loss of nitrogen from said p-type doped metallic nitride layer while activating a p-type dopant in said p-type doped metallic nitride layer,

whereby an increase in p-type dopant activation is provided to said metallic nitride layer.

29. The method of claim 28 where disposing a fusion layer on a second substrate comprises disposing a p-type doped fusion layer.

30. The method of claim 29 where disposing a p-type doped metallic nitride layer on a first substrate comprises disposing p-type doped GaN, and where disposing a fusion layer on a second substrate comprises disposing p-type doped InP.

31. The method of claim 29 where disposing a p-type doped metallic nitride layer on a first substrate comprises disposing p-type doped GaN, and where disposing a fusion layer on a second substrate comprises disposing p-type doped GaAs on a GaAs substrate.