Limiting strain relaxation in III-nitride hetero-structures by substrate and epitaxial layer patterning

• US 8,853,669 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Speck, James S., Tyagi, Anurag, Denbaars, Steven P., Nakamura, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Such, Matthew W
• Assistant Examiner(s): STOWE, SCOTT C
• Application Number:
  US13/281,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20120097919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 257/76, 257/12, 257/13, 257/14, 257/94, 257/103, 257/615, 438/39, 438/41, 438/46, 438/47
• US Class Current: 257/13
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/045 by their particular orientation of crystalline planes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7787 with wide bandgap charge-carrier supplying layer, e.g. direct single heterostructure MODFET
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0075 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2304/12 Pendeo epitaxial lateral overgrowth [ELOG], e.g. for growing GaN based blue laser diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3201 incorporating bulkstrain effects, e.g. strain compensation, strain related to polarisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32025 non-polar 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 of fabricating a substrate for a semipolar III-nitride device, comprising patterning and forming one or more mesas on a surface of a semipolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer, thereby forming a patterned surface of the semipolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer including each of the mesas with a dimension l along a direction of a threading dislocation glide, wherein the threading dislocation glide results from a III-nitride layer deposited heteroepitaxially and coherently on a non-patterned surface of the substrate or epilayer.

Claims

1. A semipolar or non-polar III-nitride device, comprising:

a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer; and

a heterostructure, comprising semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride device layers, grown on the semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer, wherein the heterostructure has a misfit dislocation density of 10⁴ cm<sup>−

2</sup> or less.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer has a threading dislocation density of 10⁶ cm⁻

2 or more.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the semi-polar or non-polar III-nitride device layers form a film having a thickness near or greater than the film'"'"'s critical thickness for relaxation, and

the critical thickness is for one or more semi-polar or non-polar III-nitride device layers deposited on a non-patterned surface of a semi-polar or non-polar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer comprises one or more mesas with a dimension l along a direction of a threading dislocation glide, thereby forming a patterned surface of the semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer, and

the heterostructure is grown heteroepitaxially and coherently on the patterned surface.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein l is between 10 micrometers and 1 millimeter.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein a heterointerface between the heterostructure and the patterned surface includes a misfit dislocation density that is reduced by a factor of at least 10 as compared to a misfit dislocation density resulting from a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride heterostructure grown heteroepitaxially and coherently on a non-patterned surface of a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein a heterointerface between the heterostructure and the patterned surface includes a misfit dislocation density that is reduced by a factor of at least 10 as compared to a misfit dislocation density resulting from a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride heterostructure grown heteroepitaxially and coherently on a non-patterned surface of the semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

8. The device of claim 4, wherein a heterointerface between the heterostructure and the patterned surface includes a misfit dislocation density that is reduced by a factor of at least 1000 as compared to a misfit dislocation density resulting from a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride heterostructure grown heteroepitaxially and coherently on a non-patterned surface of a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

9. The device of claim 4, wherein:

one or more of the semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride device layers are grown on the patterned surface, and

the one or more semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride device layers are thicker, and have a higher alloy composition, as compared to;

semi-polar or nonpolar III-nitride device layers that are grown on a non-patterned surface of a semi-polar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer, or

semi-polar or nonpolar III-nitride device layers that are grown on a different patterned surface of a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

10. The device of claim 2, further comprising a device structure on the patterned surface, wherein:

device structure is for a non-polar or semi-polar III-nitride Light Emitting Diode (LED) or Laser Diode (LD), and

the device structure includes the heterostructure and one or more active layers emitting light having a peak intensity at one or more wavelengths corresponding to green wavelengths or longer, or a peak intensity at a wavelength of 500 nm or longer.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein:

the active layers comprise III-nitride Indium containing layers, and the III-nitride Indium containing layers have a thickness and Indium composition wherein the LED or LD emits the light having the wavelengths corresponding to the green wavelengths or longer, or the peak intensity at the wavelength of 500 nm or longer.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein:

the device structure comprises waveguiding layers, comprising III-nitride layers that are sufficiently thick, and have a composition, to function as the waveguiding layers for the LD or LED, or

the device structure comprises waveguiding and cladding layers, comprising III-nitride layers that are sufficiently thick, and have a composition, to function as waveguiding and cladding layers for the LD or LED.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the active layers and the waveguiding layers comprise one or more InGaN quantum wells with GaN barrier layers, and the cladding layers comprise one or more periods of alternating AlGaN and GaN layers.

14. A method of fabricating a substrate for a semipolar or non-polar III-nitride device, comprising:

patterning and forming one or more mesas on a surface of a semipolar or non-polar III-nitride substrate or epilayer, thereby forming a patterned surface of the semipolar or non-polar III-nitride substrate or epilayer, wherein;

each of the mesas has a dimension l along a direction of a threading dislocation glide, wherein the threading dislocation glide results from a semi-polar or non-polar III-nitride layer deposited heteroepitaxially and coherently on a non-patterned surface of a semi-polar or non-polar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the semi-polar or non-polar III-nitride device layers form a film having a thickness near or greater than the film'"'"'s critical thickness for relaxation, and

the critical thickness is for one or more semi-polar or non-polar III-nitride device layers deposited on a non-patterned surface of a semi-polar or non-polar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a pre-existing threading dislocation density of the non-polar or semi-polar III-nitride substrate is at least 10⁵ cm⁻

2, or between 10⁵ and 10⁷ cm<sup>−

2</sup>.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein l is between 10 μ

m and 1 mm.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising growing a heterostructure, comprising semi-polar or non-polar III-nitride device layers, coherently on the patterned surface, wherein at least one of the semi-polar or non-polar III-nitride layers has a different III-nitride composition from the nonpolar or semipolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a heterointerface between the heterostructure and the patterned surface includes a misfit dislocation density that is reduced by a factor of at least 10 as compared to a misfit dislocation density resulting from a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride heterostructure grown heteroepitaxially and coherently on a non-patterned surface of a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein a heterointerface between the heterostructure and the patterned surface includes a misfit dislocation density that is reduced by a factor of at least 1000 as compared to a misfit dislocation density resulting from a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride heterostructure grown heteroepitaxially and coherently on a non-patterned surface of a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein:

one or more of the semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride device layers are grown on the patterned surface, and

the one or more of the semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride device layers are thicker, and have a higher alloy composition, as compared to;

semi-polar or nonpolar III-nitride device layers that are grown on an on-axis surface of a semi-polar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer, or

semi-polar or nonpolar III-nitride device layers that are grown on a different vicinal surface of a semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising growing a device structure, comprising nonpolar or semipolar III-nitride layers for a non-polar or semi-polar III-nitride Light Emitting Diode (LED) or Laser Diode (LD), on the patterned surface, wherein:

the device structure includes the heterostructure and one or more active layers emitting light having a peak intensity at one or more wavelengths corresponding to green wavelengths or longer, or a peak intensity at a wavelength of 500 nm or longer.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein:

the active layers comprise III-nitride Indium containing layers; and

the III-nitride Indium containing layers have a thickness; and

Indium composition wherein the LED or LD emits the light having the wavelengths corresponding to the green wavelengths or longer, or the peak intensity at the wavelength of 500 nm or longer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

the device structure comprises waveguiding layers, comprising III-nitride layers that are sufficiently thick, and have a composition, to function as the waveguiding layers for the LD or LED, or

the device structure comprises waveguiding and cladding layers, comprising III-nitride layers that are sufficiently thick, and have a composition, to function as waveguiding and cladding layers for the LD or LED.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the active layers and the waveguiding layers comprise one or more InGaN quantum wells with GaN barrier layers, and the cladding layers comprise one or more periods of alternating AlGaN and GaN layers.

26. A substrate for a semipolar III-nitride device, comprising:

one or more mesas on a surface of a semipolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer, forming a patterned surface of the semipolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer, wherein;

each of the mesas includes a dimension l along a direction of a threading dislocation glide wherein semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride device layers, grown on the semipolar or nonpolar III-nitride substrate or epilayer, have a misfit dislocation density of 10⁴ cm<sup>−

2</sup> or less.