Semiconductor base material and method of manufacturing the material

• US 7,179,667 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Cable Industries Limited (Mitsubishi Materials Corporation)
• Inventors: Okagawa, Hiroaki, Ouchi, Yoichiro, Tadatomo, Kazuyuki, Tsunekawa, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gupta; Yogendra
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAO, G NAGESH
• Application Number:
  US10/380,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20040048471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,982 Days
• Field of Search: 117/86, 438/22, 438/29, 438/42, 257/98, 257/103
• US Class Current: 438/22
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/18 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• 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 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02639 Preparation of substrate for selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02642 Mask materials other than SiO2 or SiN
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0265 Pendeoepitaxy

Abstract

As shown in FIG. 1(a), substrate 1 having a growth plane having a concavo-convex surface is used. When GaN group crystal is vapor phase grown using this substrate, the concavo-convex shape suppresses growth in the lateral direction and promotes growth in the C axis direction, thereby affording a base surface capable of forming a facet plane. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1(b), a crystal having a facet plane is grown in a convex part, and a crystal is also grown in a concave part. When the crystal growth is continued, the films grown from the convex part and the concave part are joined in time to cover a concavo-convex surface and become flat as shown in FIG. 1(c). In this case, an area having a low a dislocation density is formed in the upper part of the convex part where facet plane was formed, and the prepared film has high quality.

Claims

1. A semiconductor base comprising a substrate and a semiconductor crystal grown by vapor phase growth on the substrate,

wherein said substrate is a crystal substrate comprising sapphire, SiC, Si, Spinel, ZnO, GaAs or NGO and has a crystal growth plane having a concavo-convex surface,

wherein said semiconductor crystal is an Al_xGa_l−

x−

yIn_yN (0≦

x≦

1, 0≦

y≦

1, 0≦

x+y≦

1) crystal which grew from each of the concave part and the convex part and joined to cover said concavo-convex surface,

wherein, during the growth step of said semiconductor crystal, facet structure growth occurs from both the concave part and the convex part, and

wherein said semiconductor crystal has, in the inside, a dislocation line extending in the C axis direction from the substrate and then bending in the lateral direction as a result of the facet structure growth.

2. The semiconductor base of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor crystal is an AlGaN crystal.

3. The semiconductor base of claim 1, wherein the crystal growth plane of said substrate comprises convex parts forming a parallel stripe pattern.

4. The semiconductor base of claim 3, wherein the longitudinal direction of the stripe is parallel to the (1-100) plane or the (11-20) plane of the Al_xGa_l−

x−

yIn_yN crystal.

5. The semiconductor base of claim 4, wherein the longitudinal direction of the stripe concavo-convex processed on said substrate is parallel to the (1-100) plane or the (11-20) plane of the Al_xGa_l−

x−

yIn_ycrystal and the precision thereof is within 1°

.

6. The semiconductor base of claim 5, wherein the convex part concavo-convex processed on said substrate has a width A, the concave part adjacent thereto has a width B, the total thereof (A+B) is not more than 20 μ

m, and a depth h of said concave part is not less than 20% of the greater width of A or B.

7. The semiconductor base of claim 1, wherein an angle formed by a rising slope of the convex part concavo-convex processed on said substrate, and a substrate plane is not smaller than 60°

.

8. The semiconductor base of claim 1, wherein the convex part concavo-convex processed on said substrate has a curved bottom surface.

9. The semiconductor base of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor crystal is grown on the substrate via a low temperature buffer layer.