Semiconductor Material Doping

• US 20170229610A1
• Filed: 04/24/2017
• Published: 08/10/2017
• 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: Shur, Michael, Gaska, Remigijus, Shatalov, Maxim S., Yang, Jinwei, Dobrinsky, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 9,997,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 29/15 Structures with periodic or quasi periodic potential variation, e.g. multiple quantum wells, superlattices such structures applied for the control of light G02F1/017, applied in semiconductor lasers H01S5/34
• 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 29/207 further characterised by the doping material H01L29/2006 takes precedence
• 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 33/145 with a current-blocking structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/325 characterised by the doping materials
• 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 device comprising:

a group III nitride radiation generating structure; and

a group III nitride superlattice layer at least partially transparent to radiation generated by the radiation generating structure, wherein the superlattice layer comprises a set of quantum well and barriers, wherein a valence band discontinuity between a quantum well and an immediately adjacent barrier in the superlattice layer is such that a dopant energy level of a dopant in the immediately adjacent barrier in the superlattice layer is within three thermal energies of at least one of;

a valence energy band edge for the quantum well or a ground state energy for free carriers in a valence energy band for the quantum well.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the superlattice layer transmits at least five percent of radiation that is generated by the radiation generating structure and enters the superlattice layer.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the radiation is ultraviolet radiation.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the ultraviolet radiation is deep ultraviolet radiation.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of each quantum well and barrier in the superlattice layer is in a range between a single monolayer and the Bohr radius constant.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the group III nitride material of a barrier of the superlattice layer 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.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a p-type contact layer, wherein the superlattice layer is located between the radiation generating structure and the p-type contact layer.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising an electron blocking layer located between the radiation generating structure and the superlattice layer.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of:

the quantum wells or the barriers, have group III nitride compositions that change across the superlattice layer.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein an acceptor energy level in at least one barrier of the superlattice layer varies relative to a valence energy band edge for the at least one barrier.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein a quantum well of the superlattice layer is modulation doped.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of:

a composition or a width, of a plurality of periods of the superlattice layer changes from a first side of the superlattice layer to a second side of the superlattice layer opposite the first side, wherein each of the plurality of periods includes a single quantum well and a single immediately adjacent barrier.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the change is configured to transition from a first type of material of a layer immediately adjacent to the first side to a second type of material of a layer immediately adjacent to the second side.

14. An ultraviolet device comprising:

a group III nitride n-type layer;

a group III nitride ultraviolet radiation generating structure located on the group III nitride n-type layer; and

a group III nitride superlattice layer at least partially transparent to ultraviolet radiation generated by the radiation generating structure located on the ultraviolet radiation generating structure, wherein the superlattice layer comprises a set of quantum well and barriers, wherein a valence band discontinuity between a quantum well and an immediately adjacent barrier in the superlattice layer is such that a dopant energy level of a dopant in the immediately adjacent barrier in the superlattice layer is within three thermal energies of at least one of;

a valence energy band edge for the quantum well or a ground state energy for free carriers in a valence energy band for the quantum well.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the group III nitride material of a barrier of the superlattice layer 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.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein at least one of:

a composition or a width, of a plurality of periods of the superlattice layer changes from a first side of the superlattice layer to a second side of the superlattice layer opposite the first side, wherein each of the plurality of periods includes a single quantum well and a single immediately adjacent barrier.

17. The device of claim 14, further comprising a p-type contact layer, wherein the superlattice layer is located between the radiation generating structure and the p-type contact layer.

18. An ultraviolet device comprising:

a n-type layer;

a radiation generating structure located on the n-type layer, wherein the ultraviolet radiation generating structure comprises a multiple quantum well structure; and

a superlattice layer at least partially transparent to ultraviolet radiation generated by the radiation generating structure located on the ultraviolet radiation generating structure, wherein the superlattice layer comprises a set of quantum well and barriers, wherein a valence band discontinuity between a quantum well and an immediately adjacent barrier in the superlattice layer is such that a dopant energy level of a dopant in the immediately adjacent barrier in the superlattice layer is within three thermal energies of at least one of;

a valence energy band edge for the quantum well or a ground state energy for free carriers in a valence energy band for the quantum well.

19. The device of claim 18, further comprising:

an electron blocking layer located between the radiation generating structure and the superlattice layer; and

a p-type contact layer, wherein the superlattice layer is located between the electron blocking layer and the p-type contact layer.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein a thickness of each barrier and quantum well in the superlattice layer enables resonant tunneling of holes during operation of the device.