Semiconductor Material Doping

• US 20140077154A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensor Electronic Technology Incorporated (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sensor Electronic Technology Incorporated (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shatalov, Maxim S, Gaska, Remigijus, Yang, Jinwei, Shur, Michael, Dobrinsky, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 9,287,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/13
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/155 Comprising only semiconductor materials H01L29/154 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/201 including two or more compounds , e.g. alloys H01L29/2006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/205 in different semiconductor regions , e.g. heterojunctions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0075 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/04 with a quantum effect structure or superlattice, e.g. tunnel junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2009 by using electron barrier layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3211 characterised by special cladding layers, e.g. details on band-discontinuities
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3216 quantum well or superlattice cladding layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3407 characterised by special barrier layers
• 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 solution for designing and/or fabricating a structure including a quantum well and an adjacent barrier is provided. A target band discontinuity between the quantum well and the adjacent barrier is selected to coincide with an activation energy of a dopant for the quantum well and/or barrier. For example, a target valence band discontinuity can be selected such that a dopant energy level of a dopant in the adjacent barrier coincides with a valence energy band edge for the quantum well and/or a ground state energy for free carriers in a valence energy band for the quantum well. Additionally, a target doping level for the quantum well and/or adjacent barrier can be selected to facilitate a real space transfer of holes across the barrier. The quantum well and the adjacent barrier can be formed such that the actual band discontinuity and/or actual doping level(s) correspond to the relevant target(s).

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a group III nitride semiconductor structure including a quantum well and an adjacent barrier, the method comprising:

selecting a group III nitride material for the adjacent barrier such that the adjacent barrier has a transparency of at least a target transparency to ultraviolet radiation of a target wavelength;

selecting a target valence band discontinuity between the quantum well and the adjacent barrier, a target quantum well doping level for a quantum well dopant in the quantum well, and a target barrier doping level for a barrier dopant in the adjacent barrier to facilitate a real space transfer of holes across the barrier; and

forming the quantum well and the adjacent barrier in the structure having an actual valence band discontinuity corresponding to the target valence band discontinuity, an actual quantum well doping level corresponding to the target quantum well doping level, and an actual barrier doping level corresponding to the target barrier doping level, wherein the adjacent barrier is formed of the selected group III nitride material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the group III nitride material includes aluminum, and wherein a molar fraction of aluminum in the group III nitride material is selected based on the target transparency to ultraviolet radiation of the target wavelength.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the group III nitride material is an Al_xGa_1-xN alloy.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the group III nitride material includes an aluminum molar fraction x selected using the formula C·

λ

+B, where C=−

0.0048 nm<sup>−

1</sup>, B=1.83, and λ

is the target wavelength of the ultraviolet radiation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the group III nitride material of the barrier varies along lateral dimensions of the barrier such that a lateral cross section of the barrier includes:

a set of transparent regions, each transparent region having a transmission coefficient for the target wavelength greater than or equal to approximately sixty percent, wherein the set of transparent regions are at least ten percent of an area of the lateral cross section of the barrier; and

a set of higher conductive regions occupying a sufficient area of the area of the lateral cross section of the barrier and having an average resistance per unit area to a vertical current flow resulting in a total voltage drop across the semiconductor structure of less than ten percent of a total voltage drop across the structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the quantum well is formed of an Al_xGa_1-xN alloy and the group III nitride material for the barrier is an Al_yGa_1-yN alloy, and wherein 0≦

x≦

0.8 and 0.2≦

y≦

1.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein x and y have a linear relation such that y=Mx+N, where 0.9≦

M≦

1 and 0.2≦

N≦

0.7.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein N increases monotonically with a decrease in a thickness of the quantum well.

9. A device comprising:

a radiation generating structure; and

a superlattice layer at least partially transparent to radiation generated by the radiation generating structure, wherein the superlattice layer comprises;

a quantum well having a quantum well doping level for a quantum well dopant; and

an adjacent barrier formed of a group III nitride material selected such that the adjacent barrier has a transparency of at least a target transparency to the radiation generated by the radiation generating structure and having a barrier doping level for a barrier dopant, wherein a valence band discontinuity between the quantum well and the adjacent barrier in the structure, the quantum well doping level, and the target barrier doping level facilitate a real space transfer of holes across the barrier.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the group III nitride material includes aluminum, and wherein a molar fraction of aluminum in the group III nitride material is selected based on the target transparency to the radiation.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the group III nitride material is an Al_xGa_1-xN alloy.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the group III nitride material includes an aluminum molar fraction x selected using the formula C·

λ

+B, where C=−

0.0048 nm<sup>−

1</sup>, B=1.83, and λ

is the wavelength of the radiation.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the group III nitride material of the barrier varies along lateral dimensions of the barrier such that a lateral cross section of the barrier includes:

a set of transparent regions, each transparent region having a transmission coefficient for the target wavelength greater than or equal to approximately sixty percent, wherein the set of transparent regions are at least ten percent of an area of the lateral cross section of the barrier; and

a set of higher conductive regions occupying a sufficient area of the area of the lateral cross section of the barrier and having an average resistance per unit area to a vertical current flow resulting in a total voltage drop across the semiconductor structure of less than ten percent of a total voltage drop across the structure.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the quantum well is formed of an Al_xGa_1-xN alloy and the group III nitride material for the barrier is an Al_yGa_1-yN alloy, and wherein 0≦

x≦

0.8 and 0.2≦

y≦

1.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein x and y have a linear relation such that y=Mx+N, where 0.9≦

M≦

1 and 0.2≦

N≦

0.7.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein N increases monotonically with a decrease in a thickness of the quantum well.

17. A method of fabricating a deep ultraviolet light emitting device, the method comprising:

forming a deep ultraviolet light generating structure; and

forming a superlattice layer at least partially transparent to the deep ultraviolet radiation generated by the deep ultraviolet light generating structure, wherein the superlattice layer comprises;

a quantum well having a quantum well doping level for a quantum well dopant; and

an adjacent barrier formed of a group III nitride material selected such that the adjacent barrier has a transparency of at least a target transparency to the radiation generated by the radiation generating structure and having a barrier doping level for a barrier dopant, wherein a valence band discontinuity between the quantum well and the adjacent barrier in the structure, the quantum well doping level, and the target barrier doping level facilitate a real space transfer of holes across the barrier.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the group III nitride material includes aluminum, and wherein a molar fraction of aluminum in the group III nitride material is selected based on the target transparency to the radiation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the group III nitride material is an Al_xGa_1-xN alloy, and wherein the group III nitride material includes an aluminum molar fraction x selected using the formula C·

λ

+B, where C=−

0.0048 nm<sup>−

1</sup>, B=1.83, and λ

is the wavelength of the radiation.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the quantum well is formed of an Al_xGa_1-xN alloy and the group III nitride material for the barrier is an Al_yGa_1-yN alloy, and wherein x and y have a linear relation such that y=Mx+N, where 0.9≦

M≦

1 and 0.2≦

N≦

0.7.