Buried contact devices for nitride-based films and manufacture thereof

An embedded contact semiconductor device formed from semiconductor nitride materials comprising:

• a substrate
• at least one first contact on the substrate;
• a first semiconductor nitride layer wherein the first contact is embedded in the first layer and in electrical communication with the first layer;
• a junction region adjacent the first semiconductor layer;
• a second semiconductor nitride layer adjacent the junction region;
• a second contact adjacent to the second semiconductor layer and in electrical communication with the second layer;
• wherein the first and second contacts are electrically interconnected through the junction region.

An embedded contact metal nitride semiconductor device comprising:

• a substrate;
• a first metal nitride layer deposited on the substrate;
• at least a first contact formed on the first metal nitride film;
• a second metal nitride layer deposited on the first metal nitride layer encapsulating at least a portion of the first contact;
• a semiconductor junction region deposited on the second metal nitride layer;
• a third metal nitride layer deposited on the junction region, the third metal nitride layer having opposite semiconductor doping polarity to that of the first and second metal nitride layers;
• and
• a second contact in electrical communication with the third metal nitride layer.

A process of forming an embedded contact semiconductor nitride device comprising the steps of:

• providing a substrate comprising at least one first contact;
• masking a first portion of the first contact to expose at least one device region comprising a second portion of the first contact;
• forming a first semiconductor nitride layer over the second portion of the first contact in the device region thereby to embed the first contact within the first layer;
• forming a junction over the first layer;
• forming a second semiconductor nitride layer over the junction;
• forming a second contact on the second layer;
• and
• removing the mask thereby exposing the first portion of the first contacts.

A process of forming an embedded contact semiconductor nitride device comprising the steps of:

• providing a substrate comprising at least one first contact;
• forming a first semiconductor nitride layer over the first contact thereby to embed the first contact within the first layer;
• forming a junction over the first layer;
• forming a second semiconductor nitride layer over the junction;
• and
• forming a second contact on the second layer.