Materials, structures, and methods for optical and electrical III-nitride semiconductor devices

• US 9,608,145 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robbie J. Jorgenson
• Original Assignee: Robbie J. Jorgenson
• Inventors: Jorgenson, Robbie J.
• Primary Examiner(s): PRENTY, MARK V
• Application Number:
  US14/385,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20150034902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0237 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02491 Conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02507 Alternating layers, e.g. superlattice
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0058 relating to optical field-shaping elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02327 the optical elements being integrated or being directly associated to the device, e.g. back reflectors optical coatings H01L31/0216
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03044 comprising a nitride compounds, e.g. GaN
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035209 comprising a quantum structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1856 comprising nitride compounds, e.g. GaN
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0075 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/10 with a light reflecting structure, e.g. semiconductor Bragg reflector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02015 Characteristics of piezoelectric layers, e.g. cutting angles
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02543 Characteristics of substrate, e.g. cutting angles
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/853 : Ceramic compositions

Abstract

The present invention provides materials, structures, and methods for III-nitride-based devices, including epitaxial and non-epitaxial structures useful for III-nitride devices including light emitting devices, laser diodes, transistors, detectors, sensors, and the like. In some embodiments, the present invention provides metallo-semiconductor and/or metallo-dielectric devices, structures, materials and methods of forming metallo-semiconductor and/or metallo-dielectric material structures for use in semiconductor devices, and more particularly for use in III-nitride based semiconductor devices. In some embodiments, the present invention includes materials, structures, and methods for improving the crystal quality of epitaxial materials grown on non-native substrates. In some embodiments, the present invention provides materials, structures, devices, and methods for acoustic wave devices and technology, including epitaxial and non-epitaxial piezoelectric materials and structures useful for acoustic wave devices. In some embodiments, the present invention provides metal-base transistor devices, structures, materials and methods of forming metal-base transistor material structures for use in semiconductor devices.

Claims

1. An optical-electrical device comprising:

a first layered structure, wherein the first layered structure has a reflectivity at a wavelength of light used in the device, and wherein the first layered structure includes;

a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; and

a plurality of periods of a metallo-semiconductor on the top surface of the substrate,

wherein each of the plurality of periods includes a first layer and a second layer,

wherein the first layer is a metal material having a thickness of between about 15 nanometers (nm) and about 45 nm and characterized by an optical penetration depth, and the second layer is a semiconductor having a thickness d1, and

wherein the first layer is substantially lattice matched to the second layer.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal material includes HfN and the semiconductor includes GaN.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal material includes ZrN and the semiconductor includes GaN.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal material includes HfN and the semiconductor includes AlN.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal material includes ZrN and the semiconductor includes AlN.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal material includes Hf and the semiconductor includes a III-nitride material.

7. An optical-electrical device comprising:

a first layered structure, wherein the first layered structure has a reflectivity at a wavelength of light used in the device, and wherein the first layered structure includes;

a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; and

a plurality of periods of a metallo-semiconductor on the top surface of the substrate,

wherein each of the plurality of periods includes a first layer and a second layer,

wherein the first layer is a metal material having a thickness and characterized by an optical penetration depth, and the second layer is a semiconductor having a thickness d1, and

wherein the first layer is substantially lattice matched to the second layer, wherein d1=m*λ

_o/(2*n)−

PD, where m is an integer, n is an index of refraction of the semiconductor, λ

_o/n is the wavelength of the light in the semiconductor, λ

_o is the wavelength of the light in vacuum, and PD is the optical penetration depth of the light into the metal material if the thickness of the first layer is greater than the optical penetration depth and otherwise PD is the thickness of the first layer.

20. The device of claim 7, wherein the metal material includes a transition metal nitride, and wherein the semiconductor includes a III-nitride material.

8. An optical-electrical device comprising:

a first layered structure, wherein the first layered structure has a reflectivity at a wavelength of light used in the device, and wherein the first layered structure includes;

a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; and

a plurality of periods of a metallo-semiconductor on the top surface of the substrate,

wherein each of the plurality of periods includes a first layer and a second layer,

wherein the first layer is a metal material having a thickness and characterized by an optical penetration depth, and the second layer is a semiconductor having a thickness d1, and

wherein the first layer is substantially lattice matched to the second layer, wherein the optical-electrical device further includes;

a metal-cap layer on the first layered structure, wherein the metal-cap layer includes a metal material;

a III-nitride cap layer on the metal-cap layer, wherein the III-nitride cap layer includes at least one of the group consisting of AlN and GaN; and

a semiconductor device on the III-nitride cap layer, wherein the semiconductor device includes a layer of N-type III-nitride material, a layer of P-type III-nitride material, and an active layer located between the layer of N-type III-nitride material and the layer of P-type III-nitride material, and wherein the active layer includes a plurality of quantum wells.

9. An optical-electrical device comprising:

a first layered structure, wherein the first layered structure has a reflectivity at a wavelength of light used in the device, and wherein the first layered structure includes;

a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; and

a plurality of periods of a metallo-semiconductor on the top surface of the substrate,

wherein each of the plurality of periods includes a first layer and a second layer,

wherein the first layer is a metal material having a thickness and characterized by an optical penetration depth, and the second layer is a semiconductor having a thickness d1, and

wherein the first layer is substantially lattice matched to the second layer, wherein the optical-electrical device further includes;

a semiconductor device on the first layered structure, wherein the semiconductor device includes a layer of N-type III-nitride material, a layer of P-type III-nitride material, and an active layer located between the layer of N-type III-nitride material and the layer of P-type III-nitride material, wherein the active layer includes a plurality of quantum wells; and

a second layered structure on the semiconductor device, wherein the second layered structure includes a plurality of metallo-semiconductor periods, and wherein the active layer is positioned at an antinode of an optical cavity formed by the first and second layered structures.

10. An optical-electrical device comprising:

a first layered structure, wherein the first layered structure has a reflectivity at a wavelength of light used in the device, and wherein the first layered structure includes;

a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; and

a plurality of periods of a metallo-semiconductor on the top surface of the substrate,

wherein each of the plurality of periods includes a first layer and a second layer,

wherein the first layer is a metal material having a thickness and characterized by an optical penetration depth, and the second layer is a semiconductor having a thickness d1, and

wherein the first layer is substantially lattice matched to the second layer, and wherein the optical-electrical device further includes;

a second layered structure on the first layered structure, wherein the second layered structure includes a plurality of metallo-semiconductor periods, and wherein the first layered structure is reflective to 450-nm-wavelength light and partially transparent to 460-nm-wavelength light, and wherein the second layered structure is reflective to 460-nm-wavelength light.

11. An optical-electrical device comprising:

a first layered structure, wherein the first layered structure has a reflectivity at a wavelength of light used in the device, and wherein the first layered structure includes;

a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; and

a plurality of metallo-dielectric periods on the top surface of the substrate, wherein each of the plurality of periods includes a first layer and a second layer, wherein the first layer is a metal material having a thickness and characterized by an optical penetration depth, and the second layer is a dielectric having a thickness d, and

wherein the first layer is substantially lattice matched to the second layer.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the dielectric includes a dielectric selected from the group consisting of SiO₂, GeO₂, Si₃N₄, Ga₂O₃, In₂O₃, and Al₂O₃.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the metal material includes HfN, and wherein the dielectric includes a silicate.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the metal material includes HfN.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the metal material includes ZrN.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein d=m*λ

_o/(2*n)−

PD, where m is an integer, n is an index of refraction of the dielectric, λ

_o/n is the wavelength of the light in the dielectric, λ

_o is the wavelength of the light in vacuum, and PD is the optical penetration depth of the light into the metal material if the thickness of the first layer is greater than the optical penetration depth and otherwise PD is the thickness of the first layer.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the optical-electrical device further includes:

a metal-cap layer on the first layered structure, wherein the metal-cap layer includes a metal material;

a III-nitride cap layer on the metal-cap layer, wherein the III-nitride cap layer includes at least one of the group consisting of AlN and GaN; and

a semiconductor device on the III-nitride cap layer, wherein the semiconductor device includes a layer of N-type III-nitride material, a layer of P-type III-nitride material, and an active layer located between the layer of N-type III-nitride material and the layer of P-type III-nitride material, and wherein the active layer includes a plurality of quantum wells.

18. An optical-electrical device comprising:

a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; and

a plurality of metallo-semiconductor periods on the top surface of the substrate, wherein each of the plurality of periods includes a first layer and a second layer, wherein the first layer of each period is a metal material having a thickness of between about 15 nanometers (nm) and about 45 nm and characterized by an optical penetration depth, and the second layer of each period is a semiconductor, wherein the first layer is substantially lattice matched to the second layer, and wherein the second layer has a thickness d1.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein d1=m*λ

_o/(2*n)−

PD, where m is an integer, n is an index of refraction of the second layer, λ

_o/n is a wavelength of generated light in the second layer, λ

_o is a wavelength of the light in vacuum, and PD is the optical penetration depth of the light into the metal material if the thickness of the first layer is greater than the optical penetration depth and otherwise PD is the thickness of the first layer.