Fabricating a gallium nitride layer with diamond layers

• US 7,888,171 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Bernstein, Steven D., Korenstein, Ralph, Pereira, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chambliss; Alonzo
• Application Number:
  US12/341,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20100155901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 438/105
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02389 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0245 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02527 Carbon, e.g. diamond-like carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1602 Diamond
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/267 in different semiconductor regions , e.g. heterojunctions H01L29/263 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66431 with a heterojunction interface channel or gate, e.g. HFET, HIGFET, SISFET, HJFET, HEMT with an active layer made of a group 13/15 material H01L29/66462
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66462 with a heterojunction interface channel or gate, e.g. HFET, HIGFET, SISFET, HJFET, HEMT
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7786 with direct single heterostructure, i.e. with wide bandgap layer formed on top of active layer, e.g. direct single heterostructure MIS-like HEMT

Abstract

In one aspect, a method includes fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer having a first thermal conductivity and a second diamond layer having a second thermal conductivity greater than the first thermal conductivity. The fabricating includes using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer onto the first diamond layer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer having a first thermal conductivity and a second diamond layer having a second thermal conductivity greater than the first thermal conductivity, the fabricating comprising;

using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer of about 2 mils or greater onto the first diamond layer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer on the first diamond layer comprises using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer of about 2 mils.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer on the first diamond layer comprises using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer of about 2 mils on the first diamond layer of less than about 1 mil.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer on the first diamond layer comprises using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer of about 4 mils.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer having a first thermal conductivity and a second diamond layer having a second thermal conductivity greater than the first thermal conductivity comprises fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer having a first thermal conductivity and a second diamond layer having a second thermal conductivity twice the first thermal conductivity.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the fabricating further comprises using a hot filament CVD process to form the first diamond layer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the fabricating further comprises growing the GaN layer on a first substrate.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein growing the GaN layer on a first substrate comprises growing the GaN layer on one of silicon carbide, silicon or sapphire.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the fabricating further comprises:

disposing a layer of material onto the GaN layer; and

removing the first substrate.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein disposing a layer of material onto the GaN layer comprises disposing one of a silicon layer or a glass layer.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the fabricating further comprises:

depositing the first diamond layer on a second substrate; and

removing the second substrate.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein depositing the first diamond layer on a second substrate comprises depositing the first diamond layer on a silicon substrate.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the fabricating further comprises:

attaching the first and second diamond layers to the GaN layer; and

removing the layer of material.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the fabricating further comprises:

depositing the first diamond layer on to a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate;

removing an oxide from the SOT substrate; and

growing the GaN layer on remaining SOI substrate.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer comprises disposing the first diamond layer on a first surface of the GaN, and

further comprising disposing a third diamond layer on a second surface of the GaN layer opposite the first surface of the GaN layer.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer having a first thermal conductivity and a second diamond layer having a second thermal conductivity greater than the first thermal conductivity comprises fabricating a GaN layer comprising at least one of undoped GaN, doped GaN or GaN combined with another element.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising fabricating at least one of a high frequency device, a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) or a microwave device from the gallium nitride (GaN) layer with the first diamond and the second diamond layer.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein fabricating the GaN layer with the first diamond layer having the first thermal conductivity and the second diamond layer having the second thermal conductivity greater than the first thermal conductivity comprises fabricating the GaN layer with the second diamond layer having the second thermal conductivity greater than 1500 Watts/meter-Kelvin (W/m-K).

19. The method of claim 18 wherein fabricating the GaN layer with the first diamond layer having the first thermal conductivity and the second diamond layer having the second thermal conductivity greater than the first thermal conductivity comprises fabricating the GaN layer with the first diamond layer having the first thermal conductivity of about 800 to 1000 Watts/meter-Kelvin (W/m-K).

20. A method, comprising:

fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer having a first thermal conductivity and a second diamond layer having a second thermal conductivity twice the first thermal conductivity, the fabricating comprising;

using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer of between about 2 mils to about 4 mils on the first diamond layer of less than about 1 mil.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the fabricating further comprises using a hot filament CVD process to form the first diamond layer.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer on the first diamond layer comprises using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer is about 4 mils.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the fabricating further comprises:

growing the GaN layer on a first substrate;

disposing a silicon layer onto the GaN layer;

removing the first substrate;

depositing the first diamond layer onto a second substrate;

removing the second substrate;

attaching the first and second diamond layers to the GaN layer; and

removing the silicon layer.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the fabricating further comprises:

depositing the first diamond layer on to a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate;

removing an oxide from the SOI substrate; and

growing the GaN on a remaining SOI substrate.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer comprises disposing the first diamond layer on a first surface of the GaN and further comprising disposing a third diamond layer on a second surface of the GaN layer opposite the first surface of the GaN layer.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer having a first thermal conductivity and a second diamond layer having a second thermal conductivity comprises fabricating a GaN layer comprising at least one of undoped GaN, doped GaN or GaN combined with another element.

27. The method of claim 20, further comprising fabricating at least one of a high frequency device, a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) or a microwave device from the gallium nitride (GaN) layer with the first diamond and the second diamond layer.

28. The method of claim 20 wherein fabricating the GaN layer with the first diamond layer having the first thermal conductivity and the second diamond layer having the second thermal conductivity greater than the first thermal conductivity comprises fabricating the GaN layer with the second diamond layer having the second thermal conductivity greater than 1500 Watts/meter-Kelvin (W/m-K).

29. A method, comprising:

fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer and a second diamond layer, the fabricating comprising;

using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer of at least about 2 mils onto the first diamond layer,

wherein fabricating a gallium nitride (GaN) layer with a first diamond layer and a second diamond layer comprises fabricating the GaN layer comprising at least one of undoped GaN, doped GaN or GaN combined with another element.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein using a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to deposit the second diamond layer comprises using the microwave plasma CVD process to deposit the second diamond layer of between about 2 mils to about 4 mils.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the fabricating further comprises using a hot filament CVD process to form the first diamond layer.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the fabricating further comprises:

growing the GaN layer on a first substrate;

disposing a layer of material onto the GaN layer; and

removing the first substrate.