Methods for depositing thin films comprising gallium nitride by atomic layer deposition

An atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for forming a GaN containing thin film on a substrate in a reaction chamber comprising a plurality of deposition cycles, each cycle comprising:

• providing a pulse of a first vapor phase Ga halide reactant into the reaction chamber to form no more than about a single molecular layer of the first reactant on the substrate;
• removing excess first reactant from the reaction chamber;
• providing a pulse of a second vapor phase nitrogen reactant to the reaction chamber such that the second vapor phase reactant reacts with the first reactant on the substrate to form a GaN containing thin film, and
• removing excess second reactant and reaction byproducts, if any, from the reaction chamber.

An atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for forming a GaN containing thin film on a substrate in a reaction chamber comprising a plurality of deposition cycles, each cycle comprising:

• providing a pulse of a first organic Ga precursor into the reaction chamber to form no more than about a single molecular layer of the first reactant on the substrate;
• removing excess first reactant from the reaction chamber;
• providing a pulse of a second reactant vapor phase nitrogen reactant to the reaction chamber such that the second reactant reacts with the first reactant on the substrate to form a GaN containing thin film, and
• removing excess second reactant and reaction byproducts, if any, from the reaction chamber.

A method for depositing a thin film comprising InGaN on a substrate in a reaction space by an atomic layer deposition process comprising a plurality of first deposition cycles for depositing GaN and a plurality of second deposition cycles for depositing InN,

• each GaN deposition cycle comprising:
• contacting the substrate with a Ga precursor such that no more than a single monolayer of the Ga precursor adsorbs on the substrate surface in a self-limiting manner;
• and
• contacting the substrate with a nitrogen precursor, such that the nitrogen precursor reacts with the adsorbed Ga precursor to form GaN, wherein the reaction space is part of a flow-type reactor, and
• each InN deposition cycle comprising:
• contacting the substrate with a In precursor such that no more than a single monolayer of the In precursor adsorbs on the substrate surface in a self-limiting manner;
• and
• contacting the substrate with a nitrogen precursor, such that the nitrogen precursor reacts with the adsorbed In precursor to form InN,
• wherein the reaction space is part of a flow-type reactor.