Wafer produced thereby, and associated methods and devices using the wafer

A method for making a free-standing, (1{overscore (i)}00)-oriented, single crystal, gallium nitride (GaN) wafer comprising:

• providing a (100)-oriented, single crystal, tetragonal (γ) lithium aluminate (LiAlO2) substrate;
• forming a (1{overscore (i)}00)-oriented, single crystal, GaN layer directly on the (100)-oriented, single crystal, γ-LiAlO2 substrate using a gallium halide reactant gas to a thickness of greater than about 100 μm;
• and
• removing the (100)-oriented, single crystal, γ-LiAlO2 substrate from the (1{overscore (i)}00)-oriented, single crystal GaN layer to make the free-standing, (1{overscore (i)}00)-oriented GaN wafer.

A method for making a free-standing, single crystal, gallium nitride (GaN) wafer comprising:

• providing a single crystal lithium aluminate (LiAlO2) substrate;
• pretreating the single crystal LiAlO2 substrate with a gallium halide reactant gas in an environment devoid of a reactive nitrogen gas;
• depositing GaN directly on the pretreated LiAlO2 substrate by vapor phase epitaxy (VPE) using the gallium halide reactant gas and ammonia to form a single crystal GaN layer;
• and
• removing the single crystal LiAlO2 substrate from the single crystal GaN layer to make the free-standing, single crystal GaN wafer.

A method for making a free-standing, single crystal, gallium nitride (GaN) wafer devoid of carbon, the method comprising:

• providing a single crystal lithium aluminate (LiAlO2) substrate;
• forming a single crystal GaN layer devoid of carbon directly on the single crystal LiAlO2 substrate;
• and
• removing the single crystal LiAlO2 substrate from the single crystal GaN layer to make the free-standing, single crystal GaN wafer devoid of carbon.

A method for making an electronic device comprising:

• providing a (1{overscore (i)}00)-oriented, single crystal gallium nitride (GaN) layer being devoid of carbon throughout and having a defect density of less than about 107 cm−2;
• forming at least one doped semiconductor layer adjacent said (1{overscore (i)}00)-oriented, single crystal GaN layer;
• and
• forming at least one contact to said at least one doped semiconductor layer.

An electronic device comprising:

• a (1{overscore (i)}00)-oriented, single crystal gallium nitride (GaN) layer being devoid of carbon adjacent at least both of the major opposing surfaces having a defect density of less than about 107 cm−2;
• at least one doped semiconductor layer adjacent said (1{overscore (i)}00)-oriented, single crystal GaN layer;
• and
• at least one contact to said at least one doped semiconductor layer.