Growth of planar non-polar {10-10} M-plane gallium nitride with hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE)

• US 8,629,065 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ostendo Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ostendo Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Spiberg, Philippe, El-Ghoroury, Hussein S., Usikov, Alexander, Syrkin, Alexander, Scanlan, Bernard, Soukhoveev, Vitali
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, Howard
• Assistant Examiner(s): SKYLES, TIFNEY L
• Application Number:
  US12/614,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20110108954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 438/698, 438/478, 257/76, 257/267
• US Class Current: 438/698
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/183 being provided with a buffer layer, e.g. a lattice matching layer
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/186 being specially pre-treated by, e.g. chemical or physical means
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides

Abstract

A method of growing planar non-polar m-plane III-Nitride material, such as an m-plane gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial layer, wherein the III-Nitride material is grown on a suitable substrate, such as an m-plane Sapphire substrate, using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The method includes in-situ pretreatment of the substrate at elevated temperatures in the ambient of ammonia and argon, growing an intermediate layer such as an aluminum nitride (AlN) or aluminum-gallium nitride (AlGaN) on the annealed substrate, and growing the non-polar m-plane III-Nitride epitaxial layer on the intermediate layer using HVPE. Various alternative methods are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of growing a planar non-polar Gallium-Nitride epitaxial film, comprising:

providing an m-plane sapphire substrate;

cleaning and annealing the m-plane sapphire substrate in a hydrogen environment at a temperature of approximately 900°

C. for a duration of approximately 10 to 20 minutes;

nitridizing the annealed m-plane sapphire substrate in an ammonia environment at a temperature of approximately 600°

C. for approximately 3 to 10 minutes;

growing an intermediate layer of Aluminum Nitride (AlN) or Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) at a temperature of approximately 600°

C. on the nitridized and annealed m-plane sapphire substrate for approximately 30 seconds;

increasing the temperature in an atmosphere of ammonia and hydrogen by approximately 15°

C. per minute for 30 minutes to effect the recrystallization of the intermediate layer; and

growing non-polar m-plane Gallium-Nitride on the intermediate layer at a temperature of approximately 1040°

C. using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE).