Method for achieving improved epitaxy quality (surface texture and defect density) on free-standing (aluminum, indium, gallium) nitride ((al,in,ga)n) substrates for opto-electronic and electronic devices

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material under deposition conditions including V/III ratio in a range of from about 1 to about 105, nitrogen source material partial pressure in a range of from about 1 to about 103 torr, growth temperature in a range of from about 500 to about 1250 degrees Celsius, and growth rate in a range of from about 0.1 micron per hour to about 500 microns per hour, wherein the III-V nitride material substrate is transformed into a dissimilar compound on a deposition surface thereof and dissimilar compound is stripped, before said depositing step.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material under deposition conditions including V/III ratio in a range of from about 1 to about 105, nitrogen source material partial pressure in a range of from about 1 to about 103 torr, growth temperature in a range of from about 500 to about 1250 degrees Celsius, and growth rate in a range of from about 0.1 micron per hour to about 500 microns per hour, wherein said method further comprises a backside evaporative protection process.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material under deposition conditions including V/III ratio in a range of from about 1 to about 105, nitrogen source material partial pressure in a range of from about 1 to about 103 torr, growth temperature in a range of from about 500 to about 1250 degrees Celsius, and growth rate in a range of from about 0.1 micron per hour to about 500 microns per hour, wherein said method further comprises applying an epi interlayer to a deposition surface of the substrate before depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material under deposition conditions including V/III ratio in a range of from about 1 to about 105, nitrogen source material partial pressure in a range of from about 1 to about 103 torr, growth temperature in a range of from about 500 to about 1250 degrees Celsius, and growth rate in a range of from about 0.1 micron per hour to about 500 microns per hour, wherein said method further comprises annealing the substrate before depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material under deposition conditions including V/III ratio in a range of from about 1 to about 105, nitrogen source material partial pressure in a range of from about 1 to about 103 torr, growth temperature in a range of from about 500 to about 1250 degrees Celsius, and growth rate in a range of from about 0.1 micron per hour to about 500 microns per hour, wherein said method further comprises applying a surfactant to a deposition surface of the substrate for nucleation of the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer thereon.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material under deposition conditions including V/III ratio in a range of from about 1 to about 105, nitrogen source material partial pressure in a range of from about 1 to about 103 torr, growth temperature in a range of from about 500 to about 1250 degrees Celsius, and growth rate in a range of from about 0.1 micron per hour to about 500 microns per hour, wherein said method further comprises conducting a mass transport process to produce a smoothed morphology of the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material under deposition conditions including V/III ratio in a range of from about 1 to about 105, nitrogen source material partial pressure in a range of from about 1 to about 103 torr, growth temperature in a range of from about 500 to about 1250 degrees Celsius, and growth rate in a range of from about 0.1 micron per hour to about 500 microns per hour, wherein said depositing step is carried out in a growth environment, and a surfactant is added to the growth environment during said depositing step.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material, wherein the substrate is reposed on a susceptor surface during said depositing step, said method further comprising coating said susceptor surface with a corresponding III-V nitride material prior to reposing the substrate thereon for said depositing step.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material, and including an anneal step in an ambient prior to said depositing step at a temperature >600 degrees Celsius to relieve the strain in the layer, with the ambient of the anneal being different from that of said depositing step to protect the substrate surface and promote substrate strain relaxation.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding unfinished III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer in a growth ambient, by an HVPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material, with addition of surfactant into the growth ambient of the reactor during said depositing, to facilitate and enhance the smoothing of the substrate.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding unfinished III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material, wherein the substrate comprises FS (Al,In,Ga)N and said substrate is conditioned for said depositing, by oxidizing the FS (Al,In,Ga)N substrate in O2, air, an air/inert gas mixture, or a wet mixture to create a thin oxide layer, and stripping the oxide layer in an alkali solution or etch removing same, to remove potential impurities from the substrate.

A method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding unfinished III-V nitride material substrate, comprising depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material, wherein the homoepitaxial layer is doped, but wherein said doping is paused during a portion of said depositing, to form a film thickness of undoped material in said homoepitaxial layer of a sufficient thickness to eliminate interrupted morphology in growth of said homoepitaxial layer.