Method for the epitaxial growth of a semiconductor structure

Claim 1

A method for the epitaxial growth of a semiconductor heterostructure on a structured semiconductor substrate, said heterostructure including at least one plane-selectively grown III-V compound buried active layer, said method comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate having a crystal orientation such that the substrate surface is substantially parallel to a crystal plane on which the growth rate of said III-V compound material is low; structuring the substrate surface to provide at least one well-defined inclined planar surface parallel to a crystal plane on which the III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate; and growing, onto the structured substrate surface a sequence of semiconductor layers including at least one active layer of said III-V compound material selectively and laterally grown by a gas phase epitaxy method directly onto the inclined planar surface or a surface parallel thereto, and at least one non-selectively grown conformal layer of a material exhibiting a crystal plane dependent growth behavior different from that of the material of the active layer and covering at least the active layer.

Claim 2

A method for the epitaxial growth of a semiconductor heterostructure on a structured semiconductor substrate, said heterostructure including at least one plane-selectively grown III-V compound buried active layer, said method comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate having a crystal orientation such that the substrate surface is substantially parallel to a crystal plane on which the growth rate of said III-V compound material is low; structuring the substrate surface to provide at least one well-defined inclined planar surface parallel to a crystal plane on which the III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate; and growing, onto the structured substrate surface a sequence of semiconductor layers including at least one active layer of said III-V compound material selectively and laterally grown by a gas phase epitaxy method directly onto the inclined planar surface or a surface parallel thereto, and at least one non-selectively grown conformal layer of a material exhibiting a crystal plane dependent growth behavior different from that of the material of the active layer and covering at least the active layer.

Claim 6

A method for the epitaxial growth of a semiconductor heterostructure on a structured semiconductor substrate, said heterostructure including at least one plane-selectively grown III-V compound buried active layer, said method comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate having a crystal orientation such that the substrate surface is substantially parallel to a crystal plane on which the growth rate of said III-V compound material is low; structuring the substrate surface to provide at least one well-defined inclined planar surface parallel to a crystal plane on which the III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate; growing a first conformal layer onto the structured substrate surface, wherein the first conformal layer has a well-defined inclined planar surface parallel to a crystal plane on which the III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate; growing, onto the first conformal layer a sequence of semiconductor layers including at least one active layer of said III-V compound material selectively and laterally grown onto the inclined planar surface of the first conformal layer or a surface parallel thereto, and at least one non-selectively grown conformal layer of a material exhibiting a crystal plane dependent growth behavior different from that of the material of the active layer and covering at least the active layer; and repeating the sequence of growing an active layer and a conformal layer for each desired additional active layer, thereby producing a plurality of closely spaced buried active layers separated by conformal layers.

Claim 7

A method for the epitaxial growth of a semiconductor heterostructure on a structured semiconductor substrate, said heterostructure including at least one plane-selectively grown III-V compound buried active layer, said method comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate having a crystal orientation such that the substrate surface is substantially parallel to a crystal plane on which the growth rate of said III-V compound material is low; structuring the substrate surface to provide at least one well-defined inclined planar surface parallel to a crystal plane on which the III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate; growing a first conformal layer onto the structured substrate surface, wherein the first conformal layer has a well-defined inclined planar surface parallel to a crystal plane on which the III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate; growing, onto the first conformal layer a sequence of semiconductor layers including at least one active layer of said III-V compound material selectively and laterally grown onto the inclined planar surface of the first conformal layer or a surface parallel thereto, and at least one non-selectively grown conformal layer of a material exhibiting a crystal plane dependent growth behavior different from that of the material of the active layer and covering at least the active layer; and repeating the sequence of growing an active layer and a conformal layer for each desired additional active layer, thereby producing a plurality of closely spaced buried active layers separated by conformal layers.

Claim 8

A method for the epitaxial growth of a semiconductor heterostructure on a structured semiconductor substrate, said heterostructure including at least one plane-selectively grown III-V compound buried active layer, said method comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate having a crystal orientation such that the substrate surface is substantially parallel to a crystal plane on which the growth rate of said III-V compound material is low: structuring the substrate surface to provide at least one well-defined inclined planar surface parallel to a crystal plane on which the III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate; and growing, onto the structured substrate surface a sequence of semiconductor layers including at least one active layer of said III-V compound material selectively and laterally grown directly onto the inclined planar surface or a surface parallel thereto, and at least one non-selectively grown conformal layer of a material exhibiting a crystal plane dependent growth behavior different from that of the material of the active layer and covering at least the active layer, wherein an array of closely spaced buried active layers is produced by structuring the substrate surface so that a plurality of well-defined inclined planar surfaces is provided, parallel to a crystal plane on which said III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate, onto which the active layers are simultaneously grown, followed by the growth of the conformal layer.

Claim 9

A method for the epitaxial growth of a semiconductor heterostructure on a structured semiconductor substrate, said heterostructure including at least one plane-selectively grown III-V compound buried active layer, said method comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate having a crystal orientation such that the substrate surface is substantially parallel to a crystal plane on which the growth rate of said III-V compound material is low: structuring the substrate surface to provide at least one well-defined inclined planar surface parallel to a crystal plane on which the III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate; and growing, onto the structured substrate surface a sequence of semiconductor layers including at least one active layer of said III-V compound material selectively and laterally grown directly onto the inclined planar surface or a surface parallel thereto, and at least one non-selectively grown conformal layer of a material exhibiting a crystal plane dependent growth behavior different from that of the material of the active layer and covering at least the active layer, wherein an array of closely spaced buried active layers is produced by structuring the substrate surface so that a plurality of well-defined inclined planar surfaces is provided, parallel to a crystal plane on which said III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate, onto which the active layers are simultaneously grown, followed by the growth of the conformal layer.

Claim 10

A method for the epitaxial growth of a semiconductor heterostructure on a structured semiconductor substrate, said heterostructure including at least one plane-selectively grown III-V compound buried active layer, said method comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate having a crystal orientation such that the substrate surface is substantially parallel to a crystal plane on which the growth rate of said III-V compound material is low; structuring the substrate surface to provide at least one well-defined inclined planar surface parallel to a crystal plane on which the III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate; and growing, onto the structured substrate surface a sequence of semiconductor layers including at least one active layer of said III-V compound material selectively and laterally grown directly onto the inclined planar surface or a surface parallel thereto, and at least one non-selectively grown conformal layer of a material exhibiting a crystal plane dependent growth behavior different from that of the material of the active layer and covering at least the active layer, wherein a lateral stack of a plurality of adjoining active layers of varying physical properties is produced by repeating the step of selectively growing an active layer, with changing composition, and subsequent growing of the conformal layer.

Claim 11

A method for the epitaxial growth of a semiconductor heterostructure on a structured semiconductor substrate, said heterostructure including at least one plane-selectively grown III-V compound buried active layer, said method comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate having a crystal orientation such that the substrate surface is substantially parallel to a crystal plane on which the growth rate of said III-V compound material is low; structuring the substrate surface to provide at least one well-defined inclined planar surface parallel to a crystal plane on which the III-V compound material will grow at a substantial rate; and growing, onto the structured substrate surface a sequence of semiconductor layers including at least one active layer of said III-V compound material selectively and laterally grown directly onto the inclined planar surface or a surface parallel thereto, and at least one non-selectively grown conformal layer of a material exhibiting a crystal plane dependent growth behavior different from that of the material of the active layer and covering at least the active layer, wherein a lateral stack of a plurality of adjoining active layers of varying physical properties is produced by repeating the step of selectively growing an active layer, with changing composition, and subsequent growing of the conformal layer.