Non-polar (Al,B,In,Ga)N quantum well and heterostructure materials and devices

• US 7,091,514 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Keller, Stacia, Nakamura, Shuji, Mishra, Umesh K., Speck, James Stephen, Craven, Michael D., Denbaars, Steven P., Margalith, Tal
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thinh T
• Application Number:
  US10/413,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20050040385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 257/14, 257/11, 257/12, 257/19, 257/347
• US Class Current: 257/14
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/02 Epitaxial-layer growth
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/04 Pattern deposit, e.g. by using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/105 by irradiation or electric discharge
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/18 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/406 Gallium nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/605 Products containing multiple oriented crystallites, e.g. columnar crystallites
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0237 Materials
• 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 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02639 Preparation of substrate for selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02647 Lateral overgrowth

Abstract

A method for forming non-polar (Al,B,In,Ga)N quantum well and heterostructure materials and devices. Non-polar (11{overscore (2)}0) a-plane GaN layers are grown on an r-plane (1{overscore (1)}02) sapphire substrate using MOCVD. These non-polar (11{overscore (2)}0) a-plane GaN layers comprise templates for producing non-polar (Al,B,In,Ga)N quantum well and heterostructure materials and devices.

Claims

1. A method for forming a nitride semiconductor device, comprising:

(a) annealing a substrate;

(b) depositing a nitride-based nucleation layer on the substrate;

(c) growing one or more non-polar a-plane gallium nitride (GaN) layers on the nucleation layer;

(d) cooling the non-polar a-plane GaN layers under a nitrogen overpressure; and

(e) growing one or more non-polar (Al,B,In,Ga)N layers on the non-polar a-plane GaN layers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is an r-plane sapphire substrate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is selected from a group comprising silicon carbide, gallium nitride, silicon, zinc oxide, boron nitride, lithium aluminate, lithium niobate, germanium, aluminum nitride, and lithium gallate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the grown non-polar (Al,B,In,Ga)N layers comprise at least one quantum well.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the quantum well comprises an InGaN quantum well.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the quantum well is capped with GaN.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the grown non-polar (Al,B,In,Ga)N layers comprise at least one heterostructure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the heterostructure contains an (Al,Ga)N/GaN superlattice.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the growing steps are performed by a method selected from a group comprising metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), liquid phase epitaxy (LPE), hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE), sublimation, and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).