# US 10,309,038 B2 · Crystal of nitride of group-13 metal on periodic table, and method for producing the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,309,038 B2 - Document ID: US10309038B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/841,985 - Filed: 2017-12-14 - Published: 2018-04-19 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2013-02-22 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation - Applicants: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation - Inventors: Yutaka Mikawa; Hideo Namita; Hirotaka Ikeda; Kazunori Kamada; Hideo Fujisawa; Atsuhiko Kojima - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10309038B2 ## CPC - C30B 29/406: {Gallium nitride} - C30B 7/105: {using ammonia as solvent, i.e. ammonothermal processes} - C30B: SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH (by using ultra-high pressure, e.g. for the formation of diamonds, B01J3/06); UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL (zone-refining of metals or alloys C22B); PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (casting of metals, casting of other substances by the same processes or devices B22D; working of plastics B29; modifying the physical structure of metals or alloys C21D, C22F); SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (for producing semiconductor devices or parts thereof H10); APPARATUS THEREFOR ## Abstract An object of the present invention is to provide a crystal of a nitride of a Group-13 metal on the Periodic Table which has good crystallinity and has no crystal strain, and to provide a production method for the crystal. The crystal of a nitride of a Group-13 metal on the Periodic Table of the present invention, comprises oxygen atom and hydrogen atom in the crystal and has a ratio of a hydrogen concentration to an oxygen concentration therein of from 0.5 to 4.5. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for producing a GaN crystal, the method comprising: growing the GaN crystal on a seed crystal, wherein: the seed crystal is a GaN substrate having a (000-1) plane as a main plane; the (000-1) plane surface is partially covered with a growth-inhibiting material to provide a linear opening where the (000-1) plane surface is not covered with the growth-inhibiting material; and in said growing, a tabular GaN crystal is grown from the linear opening in the <000-1> direction by an ammonothermal method in the presence of a mineralizer containing fluorine and iodine in such a manner that the main plane orientation of the tabular GaN crystal is different from that of the seed crystal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a width W1 of the linear opening and a minimum width W2 of the tabular GaN crystal in a direction parallel to the (000-1) plane surface of the seed crystal satisfy a relationship of W2>W1. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a minimum length L2 of the tabular GaN crystal in a direction parallel to the (000-1) plane surface of the seed crystal to a length L1 of the linear opening L2/L1 is 0.5 or more. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a maximum height H of the tabular GaN crystal in a direction vertical to the (000-1) plane surface of the seed crystal to the length L1 of the linear opening H/LL is 0.1 or more. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, in said growing, the tabular GaN crystal is grown until a dimension of the tabular GaN crystal in the <000-1>direction is 3 mm or more. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the linear opening has a lengthwise direction parallel to an M-plane of the seed crystal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the linear opening has a lengthwise direction parallel to an A-plane of the seed crystal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the linear opening has a lengthwise direction tilted with a tilt angle from an M-plane of the seed crystal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein the tilt angle is 3° to 23°. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the seed crystal has on the (000-1) plane surface a plurality of the linear openings of which lengthwise directions are parallel to each other, and the tabular GaN crystal is grown from each of the plurality of the linear openings in said growing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein, in said growing, the tabular GaN crystals are grown from the plurality of the linear openings and bond to each other via a GaN crystal grown from a side face of the seed crystal. ### Claim 12 A method for producing a GaN crystal, the method comprising: (i) growing a tabular GaN crystal on a seed crystal from a linear opening in a <000-1> direction by an ammonothermal method in the presence of a mineralizer containing fluorine and iodine in such a manner that a main plane orientation of the tabular GaN crystal is different from a main plane orientation of the seed crystal, and (ii) growing the GaN crystal on the tabular GaN crystal, wherein the seed crystal is a GaN substrate having a (000-1) plane as the main plane; and the (000-1) plane surface is partially covered with a growth-inhibiting material to provide the linear opening where the (000-1) plane surface is not covered with the growth-inhibiting material. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein, in said growing (i), the tabular GaN crystal is grown until a dimension of the tabular GaN crystal in the <000-1> direction is 3 mm or more.