# US 2019/0172973 A1 · Oxygen controlled pvd aln buffer for gan-based optoelectronic and electronic devices

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- Number: US 2019/0172973 A1
- Document ID: US20190172973A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/265,895
- Filed: 2019-02-01
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-03-14
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Mingwei Zhu; Nag B. Patibandla; Rongjun Wang; Daniel Lee Diehl; Vivek Agrawal; Anantha Subramani
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190172973A1

## CPC

- H10H 20/815: having stress relaxation structures, e.g. buffer layers
- H01J 37/32467: {Material}
- H01J 37/32724: {Temperature}
- H01J 37/3405: {Magnetron sputtering}
- H01J 37/347: {Thickness uniformity of coated layers or desired profile of target erosion}
- H10D 62/8503: {Nitride Group III-V materials, e.g. AlN or GaN}
- H10F 71/1278: {comprising nitrides, e.g. GaN}
- H10H 20/01335: {the light-emitting regions comprising nitride materials}
- H10H 20/0137: {the light-emitting regions comprising nitride materials}
- Y02E 10/544: Solar cells from Group III-V materials
- H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

Oxygen controlled PVD AlN buffers for GaN-based optoelectronic and electronic devices is described. Methods of forming a PVD AlN buffer for GaN-based optoelectronic and electronic devices in an oxygen controlled manner are also described. In an example, a method of forming an aluminum nitride (AlN) buffer layer for GaN-based optoelectronic or electronic devices involves reactive sputtering an AlN layer above a substrate, the reactive sputtering involving reacting an aluminum-containing target housed in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber with a nitrogen-containing gas or a plasma based on a nitrogen-containing gas. The method further involves incorporating oxygen into the AlN layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A chamber for forming an aluminum nitride (AlN) layer, the chamber comprising:
a chamber coupled to a pumping system, the chamber and pumping system chamber for providing a base vacuum of 1E-7 torr or less, and a vacuum rate-of-rise of 2,500 ntorr/min or less; and
a full face erosion magnetron cathode.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The chamber of claim 1, further comprising:
a biasable electro-static chuck.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The chamber of claim 1, further comprising:
an Al target doped with oxygen.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The chamber of claim 3, further comprising:
a nitrogen source.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The chamber of claim 1, wherein the vacuum rate-of-rise of 2,500 ntorr/min or less is provided at a temperature approximately or greater than 350 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 6

A chamber for forming an aluminum nitride (AlN) layer, the chamber comprising:
a chamber coupled to a pumping system, the chamber and pumping system chamber for providing a vacuum rate-of-rise of 2,500 ntorr/min or less at a temperature approximately or greater than 350 degrees Celsius; and
a full face erosion magnetron cathode.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The chamber of claim 6, further comprising:
a biasable electro-static chuck.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The chamber of claim 6, further comprising:
an Al target doped with oxygen.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The chamber of claim 8, further comprising:
a nitrogen source.

### Claim 10

A chamber for forming an aluminum nitride (AlN) buffer layer for GaN-based optoelectronic or electronic devices, the chamber comprising:
a pumping system and chamber cooling design that enables high base vacuum of 1E-7 torr or less and a rate-of-rise of 2,500 ntorr/min or lower at high temperature; and
a full face erosion magnetron cathode configured to enable consistent target erosion and uniform deposition of AlN film across carriers, within and between wafers.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The chamber of claim 10, further comprising:
a high temperature biasable electro-static chuck configured to enable fast and uniform heating up of wafers.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The chamber of claim 10, further comprising:
an Al target doped with oxygen.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The chamber of claim 12, further comprising:
a nitrogen source.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The chamber of claim 10, wherein the high temperature is approximately or greater than 350 degrees Celsius.