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

• US 8,188,458 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2011
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• 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: Craven, Michael D., Keller, Stacia, DenBaars, Steven P., Margalith, Tal, Speck, James S., Nakamura, Shuji, Mishra, Umesh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thinh T
• Application Number:
  US13/099,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20110204329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 257/14, 257/11, 257/12, 257/19, 257/102, 257/103, 257/E29.075, 438/41, 438/46, 438/48, 438/71, 438/481, 438/584, 438/590, 438/778, 438/786
• 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 20) a-plane GaN layers are grown on an r-plane (1 102) sapphire substrate using MOCVD. These non-polar (11 20) 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 nitride semiconductor device, comprising one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layers containing Indium, wherein at least one of the (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layers has a thickness greater than 5 nanometers and emits light having a peak photoluminescence (PL) emission wavelength and an intensity that are greater than a PL emission wavelength and an intensity of light emitted from a non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layer having a thickness of 5 nanometers or less.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layers is an InGaN quantum well layer.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a light emitting diode or laser diode and an active layer of the light emitting diode or the laser diode includes the one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layers.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device includes a heterostructure formed from the one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layers.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layers are non-polar a-plane layers.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layers are non-polar m-plane layers.

7. A nitride semiconductor device, comprising one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers grown on a non-polar GaN substrate wherein the non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers include one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum wells that has a thickness greater than 5 nanometers and emits light having a peak photoluminescence (PL) emission wavelength and an intensity that are greater than a PL emission wavelength and an intensity of light emitted from a non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well having a thickness of 5 nanometers or less.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein at least one of the quantum wells is an indium containing quantum well layer.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein at least one of the quantum wells is an InGaN quantum well.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers include a heterostructure.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the device is a light emitting diode or laser diode and an active layer of the light emitting diode or the laser diode includes a heterostructure or quantum well formed from the one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the device includes a heterostructure formed from the one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers.

13. The device of claim 7, wherein the one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers are non-polar a-plane layers grown on an a-plane surface of the non-polar GaN substrate.

14. The device of claim 7, wherein the one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers are non-polar m-plane layers grown on an m-plane surface of the non-polar GaN substrate.

15. The device of claim 7, wherein the non-polar GaN substrate has a threading dislocation density of no more than 2.6×

10¹⁰ cm<sup>−

2</sup>.

16. The device of claim 7, wherein the non-polar GaN substrate has a stacking fault density of no more than 3.8×

10⁵ cm<sup>−

1</sup>.

17. The device of claim 7, wherein the one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N layers are grown on a grown non-polar surface of the non-polar GaN substrate.

18. A method for fabricating a nitride semiconductor device, comprising:

growing one or more non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layers containing Indium, wherein at least one of the (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layers has a thickness greater than 5 nanometers and emits light having a peak photoluminescence (PL) emission wavelength and an intensity that are greater than a PL emission wavelength and an intensity of light emitted from a non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layer having a thickness of 5 nanometers or less.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the growing is by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the non-polar (Al, B, In, Ga)N quantum well layers are grown on or above a non-polar GaN substrate.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising obtaining a grown non-polar surface of GaN substrate, and growing the quantum well layers on or above the grown non-polar surface.