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US 2026/0146314 A1Published application
Method for the deposition of group iiia metal nitride films
AssigneeAgc Glass Europe
InventorGerard RUITENBERG
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Abstract
A process for depositing group IIIA metal nitride layers with preferred (002) orientation by providing a substrate, depositing by magnetron sputtering a seed layer of ZnO on the substrate, and depositing by magnetron sputtering a first group IIIA metal nitride layer directly on the seed layer. Additionally, a coated substrate made in sequence, starting from the substrate surface, a seed layer of ZnO and a first group IIIA metal nitride layer, wherein the first group IIIA metal nitride layer has a preferred crystalline orientation (002) and uses a seed layer of ZnO to increase the crystallinity of a first group IIIA metal nitride layer deposited directly on said seed layer.
Claims16
1:
- A process for depositing group IIIA metal nitride layers comprising:
- providing a substrate;
- depositing by magnetron sputtering a seed layer comprising ZnO on the substrate;
- and depositing by magnetron sputtering a first group IIIA metal nitride layer directly on the seed layer.
1 more element
2:
- The process according to claim 1, further comprising depositing by magnetron sputtering a second group IIIA metal nitride layer directly on the first group IIIA metal nitride layer, the second group IIIA metal nitride being different from the first group IIIA metal nitride film.
3:
- The process according claim 2, wherein the first and/or second group IIIA metal nitride layers have a preferred (002) orientation.
4:
- The process according to claim 1, wherein the seed layer has a thickness of at least 0.3 nm and/or of up to 250 nm.
5:
- The process according to claim 4, wherein the seed layer comprises up to 10 at % of a dopant selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, B, and In.
6:
- The process according to claim 4, wherein the seed layer is deposited by magnetron sputtering a target selected from the group consisting of
- a. a Zn metal target, optionally doped with Al, Ga, B, or In;
- and
- b. a ceramic ZnO target, optionally doped with Al, Ga, B, or In.
1 more element
7:
- The process according to claim 2, wherein the first and/or second group IIIA metal nitrides are selected from the group consisting of indium nitride, aluminum nitride, gallium nitride, boron nitride, or from a mixed nitride of two or more of indium nitride, aluminum nitride, gallium nitride, and boron nitride.
8:
- The process according to claim 2, wherein the first group IIIA metal nitride comprises a mixed nitride of indium and aluminum and the second group IIIA metal nitride comprises gallium nitride.
9:
- The process according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the first and/or second group IIIA metal nitride layers is at least 10 nm.
10:
- The process according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of crystalline Ge, crystalline Si, sapphire, a metal and glass.
11:
- The process according to claim 2, wherein no heating of the substrate is performed, prior to or during the deposition of the seed layer and/or first group IIIA metal nitride layer and/or second group IIIA metal nitride layer.
12:
- The process according to claim 2, further comprising, after depositing the first and/or second group IIIA metal nitride layers, heating of the substrate to at least 100° C.
13:
- The process according to claim 1, further comprising, before deposition of the seed layer, deposition of an amorphous layer, comprising a material selected from the group consisting of Zn2SnO4, Si3N4, SiO2, titanium oxide, nitride of zirconium and silicon, oxide of titanium and zirconium.
A coated substrate comprising in sequence, starting from the substrate surface:
- a seed layer comprising ZnO;
- a first group IIIA metal nitride layer;
- and
- optionally a second group IIIA metal nitride layer,
- wherein the composition of the second group IIIA metal nitride layer is different from the first group IIIA metal nitride layer, and
- wherein the first group IIIA metal nitride layer is in direct contact with the seed layer and has a preferred crystalline orientation (002) and
- wherein the second group IIIA metal nitride layer is in direct contact with the seed layer and has a preferred crystalline orientation (002).
4 more elements
15:
- A method of increasing the crystallinity of the first group IIIA metal nitride layer in the coated substrate according to claim 14, comprising depositing the first group IIIA metal nitride layer directly onto the seed layer.
16:
- A method of increasing the crystallinity of the first group IIIA metal nitride layer and the crystallinity of the second group IIIA metal nitride layer in the coated substrate according to claim 14, comprising:
- depositing the first group IIIA metal nitride layer directly onto the seed layer;
- and
- depositing the second group IIIA metal nitride layer directly on the first group IIIA metal nitride layer,
- wherein a composition of the second group IIIA metal nitride layer is different from a composition of the first group IIIA metal nitride layer.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.