Transferring large-area group III-nitride semiconductor material and devices to arbitrary substrates

A method for producing a thick epitaxial material layer having a predetermined polarity on an arbitrary substrate, comprising:

• providing a base substrate, the base substrate having a thermal coefficient of expansion that matches a thermal coefficient of expansion of a predetermined epitaxial material;
• depositing an engineered substrate on the base substrate, the engineered substrate comprising a multilayered structure that is engineered to have a thermal coefficient of expansion that matches the thermal coefficient of expansion of the predetermined epitaxial material;
• depositing a sacrificial release layer having an atomically flat surface on the engineered substrate, the sacrificial release layer providing a nucleation surface for epitaxial growth of the predetermined epitaxial material;
• epitaxially growing the predetermined epitaxial material on the sacrificial release layer, a match of the thermal coefficient of expansion between the engineered substrate and the predetermined epitaxial material enabling growth of a thick epitaxial material layer without cracking of the epitaxial material, the thick epitaxial material layer having a thickness greater than 5 μm;
• removing the sacrificial release layer, the engineered substrate, and the base substrate from the bottom of the thick epitaxial material layer to form a freestanding thick epitaxial material layer;
• bonding a top or a bottom surface of the freestanding thick epitaxial material layer to a predetermined arbitrary receiving substrate;
• wherein the sacrificial release layer is selected to produce a predetermined polarity in the thick epitaxial material layer grown on the sacrificial release layer;
• and
• wherein the top or bottom bonding surface is selected to produce the predetermined polarity of the thick epitaxial material layer on the arbitrary substrate.

A method for producing a thick N-polar epitaxial GaN material layer on an arbitrary substrate, comprising:

• providing a base substrate, the base substrate having a thermal coefficient of expansion that matches a thermal coefficient expansion of GaN;
• depositing an engineered substrate on the base substrate, the engineered substrate comprising a multilayered structure that is engineered to have a thermal coefficient of expansion that matches the thermal coefficient of expansion of the GaN;
• depositing a (111) Si sacrificial release layer having an atomically flat surface on the engineered substrate, the sacrificial release layer providing a nucleation surface for epitaxial growth of the GaN;
• epitaxially growing a layer of GaN having a Ga-polar top surface on the sacrificial release layer, a match of the thermal coefficient of expansion between the engineered substrate and the GaN enabling growth of a thick epitaxial GaN layer without cracking, the thick epitaxial GaN layer having a thickness greater than 5 μm;
• bonding the Ga-polar top surface of the thick epitaxial GaN layer to a predetermined arbitrary receiving substrate;
• and
• removing the sacrificial release layer, the engineered substrate, and the base substrate from the bottom of the bonded thick epitaxial GaN layer to form an N-polar GaN having a thickness greater than 5 μm on the arbitrary substrate.

A method for producing a thick Ga-polar epitaxial GaN material layer on an arbitrary substrate, comprising:

• providing a base substrate, the base substrate having a thermal coefficient of expansion that matches a thermal coefficient expansion of GaN;
• depositing an engineered substrate on the base substrate, the engineered substrate comprising a multilayered structure that is engineered to have a thermal coefficient of expansion that matches the thermal coefficient of expansion of the GaN;
• depositing a sacrificial release layer having an atomically flat surface on the engineered substrate, the sacrificial release layer providing a nucleation surface for epitaxial growth of GaN;
• epitaxially growing a layer of GaN having an N-polar top surface on the sacrificial release layer, a match of the thermal coefficient of expansion between the engineered substrate and the GaN enabling growth of a thick epitaxial GaN layer without cracking, the thick epitaxial GaN layer having a thickness greater than 5 82 m;
• bonding the N-polar top surface of the epitaxial GaN layer to a predetermined arbitrary receiving substrate;
• and
• removing the sacrificial release layer, the engineered substrate, and the base substrate from the bottom of the bonded GaN layer to form a Ga-polar GaN having a thickness greater than 5 μm on the arbitrary substrate.