Process for producing high-quality III-V nitride substrates

Abstract

Abstract Provided is a method for producing a nitride layer on a growth substrate. First a pretreatment layer is formed on the growth substrate, and then the formed pretreatment layer is exposed to a gaseous environment that is thermochemically reactive with the pretreatment layer. After gaseous environment exposure of the pretreatment layer, there is carried out an epitaxial growing process to produce on the substrate a nitride layer material defined as In x Ga y Al 1-x-y N, where 0≦x≦1; 0≦y≦1; and 0≦x+y≦1. For example, a pretreatment layer of ZnO can be deposited on a sapphire growth substrate and then subjected to a gaseous environment, e.g., including HCl- and/or NH 3 -containing gas, that is thermochemically reactive with the ZnO. Then an epitaxial layer of GaN can be grown by a hydride vapor phase epitaxial process on the pretreated substrate. The growth substrate can include a plane of mechanical weakness that is parallel with a predominant nitride growth surface of the substrate, and that is either inherently exhibited by the substrate or that is produced by processing of the substrate. Similarly, an interlayer of material characterized by a plane of mechanical weakness parallel with the predominant nitride growth surface can be formed on the substrate, preferably after the pretreatment layer deposition and gaseous environment exposure steps.

Inventors

• 👤 Richard J. Molnar

Bibliographic Details