# US 10,121,935 B2 · Three-dimensional semiconductor nanoheterostructure and method of making same

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- Number: US 10,121,935 B2
- Document ID: US10121935B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/753,844
- Filed: 2013-01-30
- Published: 2018-08-16
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2012-02-03
- Assignees: VI Systems GmbH
- Applicants: VI Systems GmbH
- Inventors: Nikolay Ledentsov; Vitaly Shchukin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10121935B2

## CPC

- H10H 20/811: having quantum effect structures or superlattices, e.g. tunnel junctions
- H01S 5/2228: {quantum wells}
- H01S 5/3201: {incorporating bulkstrain effects, e.g. strain compensation, strain related to polarisation}
- H01S 5/3216: {quantum well or superlattice cladding layers}
- H01S 5/341: {Structures having reduced dimensionality, e.g. quantum wires}
- H01S 5/3412: {quantum box or quantum dash}
- H10H 20/013: {having light-emitting regions comprising only Group III-V materials}
- H01S 5/18313: {by oxidizing at least one of the DBR layers}
- H01S 2304/00: Special growth methods for semiconductor lasers
- H10H 20/01: Manufacture or treatment
- H10H 20/818: within the light-emitting regions
- H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS
- H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL

## Abstract

A method for fabrication of three-dimensional nanostructures on top of the surface of a first solid state material is disclosed, which includes steps of (i) deposition of a layer of a second solid state material forming a stable layer-like coverage of the surface, (ii) the subsequent deposition of a third solid state material, having a stronger binding energy with the first solid state material than the second solid state material, (iii) wherein the third solid state material replaces the second solid state material forming an interface with the first material and thus reduces the energy of the system, and (iv) where the resulting excess second solid state material forms three-dimensional nanostructures. The structure can be covered with another (fourth) solid state material, which eventually can be the same as the first material or a different one, and the three dimensional nanostructures form capped quantum dots or quantum wires. The deposition steps can be repeated and extended to provide necessary functionality in the resulting device structure.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for fabrication of three-dimensional nanostructures on top of the surface of a first solid state material, which includes steps of
(a) deposition of a layer of a second solid state material, to form a stable layer-like coverage of the surface of said first solid state material and
(b) the subsequent deposition of a third solid state material,
wherein a layer-like coverage of said third solid state material on top of said layer-like coverage of second solid state material is unstable,
wherein as a result of said instability said third solid state material replaces said second solid state material reducing the total energy of the system, and
wherein the resulting excess volume of said second solid state material forms three-dimensional nanostructures.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1,
wherein said instability is governed by a driving force selected from the following group:
(i) a binding energy of said third solid state material with said first solid state material is larger than the binding energy of said second solid state material with said first solid state material,
(ii) said third solid state material does not wet said second solid state material, and
(iii) a combination of (i) and (ii).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1,
wherein the resulting nanostructure is covered by an additional layer of a fourth solid state material.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1, 3)

The method of claim 3,
wherein the procedure described in claims 1 and 3 is repeated two or more times.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1,
wherein the deposited said second solid state material and said third solid state material are lattice matched to said first solid state material.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1,
wherein at least one material from the group consisting of
a) said second solid state material and
b) said third solid state material
is lattice mismatched to said first solid state material.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3,
wherein the solid state materials forming the group consisting of
a) said first solid state material,
b) said second solid state material,
c) said third solid state material, and
d) said fourth solid state material
are selected from the group consisting of
i) single crystalline materials,
ii) amorphous materials, and
iii) organic materials.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1,
wherein said second solid state material forms nanostructures selected from the group consisting of:
a) quantum dots,
b) quantum wires,
c) anti-dots,
d) anti-wires, and
e) any combination of a) through d).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1,
wherein said solid state materials forming the group consisting of
a) said first solid state material,
b) said second solid state material,
c) said third solid state material, and
d) said fourth solid state material
are selected from the group consisting of:
(i) III-V materials,
(ii) III-N materials,
(iii) II-VI materials,
(iv) group IV materials, and
(v) any combination of (i) through (iv).

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9 wherein
said first solid state material is GaAs, and
said second solid state material is InAs, and
said third solid state material is AlAs.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9 wherein,
said first solid state material is InP, and
said second solid state material is InAs, and
said third solid state material is AlAs.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein
said first solid state material is GaN, and
said second solid state material is an alloy (In,Ga)N, and
said third solid state material is an alloy (Al,Ga)N.

### Claim 13 (depends on 3)

An optoelectronic device, comprising an active medium, further comprising a three-dimensional heterostructure formed according to claim 3,
wherein said optoelectronic device is selected from the group consisting of:
(i) light-emitting diode,
(ii) edge-emitting laser diode,
(iii) surface-emitting laser diode,
(iv) tilted wave laser diode,
(v) tilted cavity laser diode,
(vi) semiconductor disc laser,
(vii) single photon light emitter, and
(viii) emitter of entangled photons.

### Claim 14 (depends on 3)

An electronic device, comprising an active medium further comprising three-dimensional heterostructure formed according to claim 3,
wherein said electronic device is selected from the group consisting of:
(i) quantum dot memory device,
(ii) resonant tunneling device,
(iii) Coulomb blockade device, and
(iv) spintronic diode.