Technique for the growth and fabrication of semipolar (Ga,A1,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices

• US 7,846,757 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Science And Technology Agency
• Original Assignee: Japan Science And Technology Agency, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Pattison, P. Morgan, Farrell, Robert M. Jr., Speck, James S., Sharma, Rajat, Baker, Troy J., DenBaars, Steven P., Haskell, Benjamin A., Nakamura, Shuji, Mishra, Umesh Kumar, Chakraborty, Arpan
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAN, SU JYA
• Application Number:
  US11/444,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20070093073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 438/46, 438/47, 438/479, 438/938, 257/E21.113, 257/E21.463, 257/E33.002, 257/E33.013
• US Class Current: 438/46
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 23/025 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/18 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02389 Nitrides
• 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 33/0004 Devices characterised by their operation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0062 for devices with an active region comprising only III-V compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/02 characterised by the semiconductor bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2304/04 MOCVD or MOVPE
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0422 with n- and p-contacts on the same side of the active layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04257 having positive and negative electrodes on the same side of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2201 in a specific crystallographic orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/320275 semi-polar orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 : with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser

Abstract

A method for growth and fabrication of semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices, comprising identifying desired material properties for a particular device application, selecting a semipolar growth orientation based on the desired material properties, selecting a suitable substrate for growth of the selected semipolar growth orientation, growing a planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N template or nucleation layer on the substrate, and growing the semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures or devices on the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N template or nucleation layer. The method results in a large area of the semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices being parallel to the substrate surface.

Claims

1. A method for growth and fabrication of semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N film, comprising:

(a) selecting a semipolar growth orientation;

(b) selecting a gallium nitride (GaN) substrate compatible with growth of the selected semipolar growth orientation; and

(c) growing one or more planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers on a planar semipolar surface of the GaN substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), wherein the planar semipolar surface of the GaN substrate has the selected semipolar growth orientation, and an area and quality of the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers parallel to the surface of the GaN substrate are sufficient to fabricate a semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the GaN substrate comprises a semipolar gallium nitride wafer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the planar semipolar surface of the GaN substrate is grown on a foreign material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers form a heterostructure.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N film layers into a device.

6. A device fabricated using the method of claim 1.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the area is at least 300 μ

m×

300 μ

m.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the area and the quality of the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers parallel to the surface of the GaN substrate are sufficient to fabricate the semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N device using lithographic methods.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers emit light with a reduced blue-shift in an emission peak with increasing drive current, as compared to a blue shift in c-plane layers operating in a similar wavelength range and similar drive current range.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers emit light with a reduced decrease in the external quantum efficiency (EQE) with increasing drive current, as compared to a decrease in an EQE in c-plane layers operating in a similar wavelength range and similar drive current range.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the semipolar growth orientation from a plurality of available semipolar orientations having a planar surface.

12. A semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N film, comprising:

(a) a semipolar growth orientation;

(b) a gallium nitride (GaN) substrate compatible with growth of the selected semipolar growth orientation; and

(c) one or more planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers on a planar semipolar surface of the GaN substrate, wherein the planar semipolar surface of the GaN substrate has the selected semipolar growth orientation, and an area and quality of the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers parallel to the surface of the GaN substrate are sufficient to fabricate a semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N device.

13. The film of claim 12, wherein the GaN substrate comprises a semipolar nitride wafer.

14. The film of claim 12, wherein the planar semipolar surface of the GaN substrate is grown on a foreign material.

15. The film of claim 12, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers form a heterostructure.

16. The film of claim 12, further comprising processing the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers into a device.

17. The film of claim 12, wherein the area is at least 300 μ

m×

300 μ

m.

18. The film of claim 12, wherein the area and the quality of the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers parallel to the surface of the GaN substrate is sufficient to fabricate the semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N devices by standard lithographic methods.

19. The film of claim 12, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers emit light with a reduced blue-shift in an emission peak with increasing drive current, as compared to a blue shift in c-plane layers operating in a similar wavelength range and similar drive current range.

20. The film of claim 12, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers emit light with a reduced decrease in the external quantum efficiency (EQE) with increasing drive current, as compared to a decrease in an EQE in c-plane layers operating in a similar wavelength range and similar drive current range.

21. The film of claim 12, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers include one or more device layers and the semipolar orientation optimizes the device layers'"'"' piezoelectric polarization or effective hole mass, as compared to the device layers'"'"' piezoelectric polarization or effective hole mass on a different semipolar orientation.

22. The film of claim 12, wherein the semipolar growth orientation is different from a (10−

11) or a (10−

10) orientation.

23. The film of claim 12, wherein the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N layers include one or more device layers and the semipolar orientation is such that at least one of the device layers emits blue light with an external quantum efficiency of at least 0.34% and an output power of at least 190 microwatts, or emits green light with an external quantum efficiency of at least 0.04% and an output power of at least 20 microwatts.