# US 8,772,787 B2 · Prepared and stored GaN substrate

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- Number: US 8,772,787 B2
- Document ID: US8772787B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/907,995
- Filed: 2013-06-03
- Published: 2013-10-03
- Granted: 2014-07-08
- Earliest claimed: 2006-06-14
- Assignees: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
- Applicants: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
- Inventors: Hideyuki Ijiri; Seiji Nakahata
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8772787B2

## CPC

- H10D 62/8503: {Nitride Group III-V materials, e.g. AlN or GaN}
- C30B 29/406: {Gallium nitride}
- C30B 33/00: After-treatment of single crystals or homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure (C30B31/00 takes precedence)
- H10H 20/0137: {the light-emitting regions comprising nitride materials}
- H10H 20/817: characterised by the crystal structures or orientations, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- C30B: SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH (by using ultra-high pressure, e.g. for the formation of diamonds, B01J3/06); UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL (zone-refining of metals or alloys C22B); PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (casting of metals, casting of other substances by the same processes or devices B22D; working of plastics B29; modifying the physical structure of metals or alloys C21D, C22F); SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (for producing semiconductor devices or parts thereof H10); APPARATUS THEREFOR
- H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS

## Abstract

A GaN substrate is stored within an atmosphere in which the oxygen concentration is not greater than 15 vol. % and the water-vapor concentration is not greater than 20 g/m3. The GaN substrate (1) has a planar first principal face (1m), and in an arbitrary point (P) along the first principal face (1m) and separated 3 mm or more from the outer edge thereof, the GaN substrate's plane orientation has an off-inclination angle Δα of −10° or more, 10° or less with respect to the plane orientation of an arbitrarily designated crystalline plane (1a) that is inclined 50° or more, 90° or less with respect to a plane (1c), being either the (0001) plane or the (000 1) plane, through the arbitrary point. This enables storing GaN substrates whose principal-face plane orientation is other than (0001) or (000 1), making available GaN substrates with which semiconductor devices of favorable properties can be manufactured.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A GaN substrate stored within an atmosphere in which the oxygen concentration is not greater than 15 vol. % and the water-vapor concentration is not greater than 20 g/m3, the GaN substrate having opposite sides encompassed by a peripheral edge, one of said opposite sides being a planar first principal face and the other of said opposite sides being a second principal face, said first principal face having an average roughness Ra of not greater than 20 nm and being of plane orientation having, in an arbitrary point along the first principal face and separated at least 3 mm from said peripheral edge, an off-inclination angle of between −10° and 10°, inclusive, with respect to an arbitrarily designated crystalline plane, through said arbitrary point, of plane orientation inclined between 50° and 90°, inclusive, with respect to either the (0001) plane or the (000 1) plane, and said second principal face having an average roughness Ra of not greater than 20 μm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The GaN substrate set forth in claim 1, wherein the average roughness Ra of said first principal face is not greater than 5 nm, and the average roughness Ra of said second principal face is not greater than 10 μm.

### Claim 3

A GaN substrate stored within an atmosphere in which the oxygen concentration is not greater than 15 vol. % and the water-vapor concentration is not greater than 20 g/m3, the GaN substrate having opposite sides encompassed by a peripheral edge, one of said opposite sides being a planar first principal face of plane orientation having, in an arbitrary point along the first principal face and separated at least 3 mm from said peripheral edge, an off-inclination angle of between −10° and 10°, inclusive, with respect to an arbitrarily designated {20 2 1} crystalline plane through said arbitrary point.

### Claim 4

A GaN substrate stored within an atmosphere in which the oxygen concentration is not greater than 15 vol. % and the water-vapor concentration is not greater than 20 g/m3, the GaN substrate having opposite sides encompassed by a peripheral edge, one of said opposite sides being a planar first principal face of plane orientation having, in an arbitrary point along the first principal face and separated at least 3 mm from said peripheral edge, an off-inclination angle of between −10° and 10°, inclusive, in a <1 2 10> direction with respect to an arbitrarily designated {20 2 1} crystalline plane through said arbitrary point, and of between −10° and 10°, inclusive, in a direction perpendicular to a <20 2 1> direction and to a <1 2 10> direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The GaN substrate set forth in claim 4, wherein the plane orientation of said first principal face has an off-inclination angle of between −3° and 3°, inclusive, in a <1 2 10> direction with respect to {20 2 1}, and between −3° and 3°, inclusive, in a direction perpendicular to a <20 2 1> direction and to a <1 2 10> direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The GaN substrate set forth in claim 4, wherein the plane orientation of said first principal face has an off-inclination angle of between −0.5° and 0.5°, inclusive, in a <1 2 10> direction with respect to {20 2 1}, and between −0.5° and 0.5°, inclusive, in a direction perpendicular to a <20 2 1> direction and to a <1 2 10> direction.