Ostendo Technologies, Inc.

Technologies and Devices International, Inc.

Alexander L Syrkin

Vladimir Ivantsov

Alexander Usikov

Oleg V Kovalenkov

Vitali Soukhoveev

Hussein S El-Ghoroury

Vladimir A Dmitriev

Lisa Shapovalov

Anna Volkova

Philippe Spiberg

Vladimir Sizov

Benjamin A Haskell

Robert G W Brown

Denis V Tsvetkov

Karim Mynbaev

Stephen Saddow

Nataliya Savkina

Alexander Lebedev

Marina Mynbaeva

Lisa Shapovalova

Bernard Scanlan

Hydride phase vapor epitaxy (HVPE) growth apparatus, methods and materials and structures grown thereby. An HVPE reactor includes generation, accumulation, and growth zones. A source material for growth of indium nitride is generated and collected inside the reactor. A first reactive gas reacts with an indium source inside the generation zone to produce a first gas product having an indium-containing compound. The first gas product is cooled and condenses into a liquid or solid condensate or source material having an indium-containing compound. The source material is collected in the accumulation zone. Vapor or gas resulting from evaporation of the condensate forms a second gas product, which reacts with a second reactive gas in the growth zone for growth of indium nitride.

HVPE apparatus and methods for growing indium nitride and indium nitride materials and structures grown thereby

A method for growing on a substrate strongly aligned uniform cross-section semiconductor composite nanocolumns is disclosed. The method includes: (a) forming faceted pyramidal pits on the substrate surface; (b) initiating nucleation on the facets of the pits; and; (c) promoting the growth of nuclei toward the center of the pits where they coalesce with twinning and grow afterwards together as composite nanocolumns. Multi-quantum-well, core-shell nanocolumn heterostructures can be grown on the sidewalls of the nanocolumns. Furthermore, a continuous semiconductor epitaxial layer can be formed through the overgrowth of the nanocolumns to facilitate fabrication of high-quality planar device structures or for light emitting structures.

Methods for producing composite GaN nanocolumns and light emitting structures made from the methods

A backflow liner in an epitaxial growth system is provided in order to control gas flow and protect the surface of substrates throughout an epitaxial growth cycle. The backflow liner provides critical protection during the warming time prior to substrate pre-treatment, while the growth environment reaches steady state condition between the pre-treatment and the growth process, during pauses between the layer depositions in case of multilayer structure growth, and during the cooling process. The direction of the gas flow through the backflow liner is counter to the deposition gas flows directed from the source end of the growth system. The backflow liner is therefore designed to shape the flow of gases to prevent formation of the vortex-type streams in the growth system that may negatively affect the growth process.

Backflow reactor liner for protection of growth surfaces and for balancing flow in the growth liner

A method has been developed to overcome deficiencies in the prior art in the properties and fabrication of semi-polar group III-nitride templates, films, and materials. A novel variant of hydride vapor phase epitaxy has been developed that provides for controlled growth of nanometer-scale periodic structures. The growth method has been utilized to grow multi-period stacks of alternating AlGaN layers of distinct compositions. The application of such periodic structures to semi-polar III-nitrides yielded superior structural and morphological properties of the material, including reduced threading dislocation density and surface roughness at the free surface of the as-grown material. Such enhancements enable to fabrication of superior quality semi-polar III-nitride electronic and optoelectronic devices, including but not limited to transistors, light emitting diodes, and laser diodes.

Semi-polar III-nitride films and materials and method for making the same

Apparatus and methods for controlling gas flows in a HVPE reactor. Gas flows may be controlled by a gas focusing element. Gas injection and gas collection tubes are positioned within an outer tube and are separated from each other to define a space there between. A gas, such as HCl gas, flows over the outer surfaces of the injection and collection tubes to contain gases within the space as they flow from the injection tube to the collection tube and over a seed upon which group III nitride materials are grown. Gas flows may also be controlled by a multi-tube structure that separates gases until they reach a grown zone. A multi-tube structure may include four tubes, which separate flows of a halide reactive gas, a reaction product that flows with a carrier gas, and ammonia.

Apparatus and methods for controlling gas flows in a HVPE reactor

A method to grow single phase group III-nitride articles including films, templates, free-standing substrates, and bulk crystals grown in semi-polar and non-polar orientations is disclosed. One or more steps in the growth process includes the use of additional free hydrogen chloride to eliminate undesirable phases, reduce surface roughness, and increase crystalline quality. The invention is particularly well-suited to the production of single crystal (11.2) GaN articles that have particular use in visible light emitting devices.

Free HCL used during pretreatment and AlGaN growth to control growth layer orientation and inclusions

The geometry of transition from cylindrical to rectangular shape through the conical part in hydride vapor phase epitaxial (HVPE) systems for deposition of III-nitride films is disclosed. It is used to ensure the laminar gas flow inside the growth zone of the system. For the velocity of flow within the atmospheric pressure reactor to be sufficient, the precursors are injected through the narrow diameter tubing injectors. The quartz reactor geometry is introduced to control the transition from jet to laminar flow.

Epitaxy reactor internal component geometries for the growth of superior quality group III-nitride materials

The present invention relates to a method for producing a modified surface of a substrate that stimulates the growth of epitaxial layers of group-III nitride semiconductors with substantially improved structural perfection and surface flatness. The modification is conducted outside or inside a growth reactor by exposing the substrate to a gas-product of the reaction between hydrogen chloride (HCl) and aluminum metal (Al). As a single-step or an essential part of the multi-step pretreatment procedure, the modification gains in coherent coordination between the substrate and group-III nitride epitaxial structure to be deposited. Along with epilayer, total epitaxial structure may include buffer inter-layer to accomplish precise substrate-epilayer coordination. While this modification is a powerful tool to make high-quality group-III nitride epitaxial layers attainable even on foreign substrates having polar, semipolar and nonpolar orientation, it remains gentle enough to keep the surface of the epilayer extremely smooth. Various embodiments are disclosed.

Method for substrate pretreatment to achieve high-quality III-nitride epitaxy

A method of growing planar non-polar m-plane or semi-polar III-Nitride material, such as an m-plane gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial layer, wherein the III-Nitride material is grown on a suitable substrate, such as an m-plane sapphire substrate, using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The method includes in-situ pretreatment of the substrate at elevated temperatures in an atmosphere of ammonia and argon, growing an intermediate layer such as an aluminum nitride (AlN) or aluminum-gallium nitride (AlGaN) on the annealed substrate, and growing the non-polar m-plane III-Nitride epitaxial layer on the intermediate layer using HVPE.

Growth of planar non-polar {1 -1 0 0} M-plane and semi-polar {1 1 -2 2} gallium nitride with hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE)

HVPE reactors and methods for growth of p-type group III nitride materials including p-GaN. A reaction product such as gallium chloride is delivered to a growth zone inside of a HVPE reactor by a carrier gas such as Argon. The gallium chloride reacts with a reactive gas such as ammonia in the growth zone in the presence of a magnesium-containing gas to grow p-type group III nitride materials. The source of magnesium is an external, non-metallic compound source such as Cp2Mg.

HVPE apparatus and methods for growth of p-type single crystal group III nitride materials

A method of growing planar non-polar m-plane III-Nitride material, such as an m-plane gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial layer, wherein the III-Nitride material is grown on a suitable substrate, such as an m-plane Sapphire substrate, using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The method includes in-situ pretreatment of the substrate at elevated temperatures in the ambient of ammonia and argon, growing an intermediate layer such as an aluminum nitride (AlN) or aluminum-gallium nitride (AlGaN) on the annealed substrate, and growing the non-polar m-plane III-Nitride epitaxial layer on the intermediate layer using HVPE. Various alternative methods are disclosed.

Growth of planar non-polar {10-10} M-plane gallium nitride with hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE)

Hydride phase vapor epitaxy (HVPE) growth apparatus, methods and materials and structures grown thereby. A HVPE growth apparatus includes generation, accumulation and growth zones. A first reactive gas reacts with an indium source inside the generation zone to produce a first gas product having an indium-containing compound. The first gas product is transported to the accumulation zone where it cools and condenses into a source material having an indium-containing compound. The source material is collected in the accumulation zone and evaporated. Vapor or gas resulting from evaporation of the source material forms reacts with a second reactive gas in the growth zone for growth of ternary and quaternary materials including indium gallium nitride, indium aluminum nitride, and indium gallium aluminum nitride.

HVPE apparatus and methods for growth of indium containing materials and materials and structures grown thereby

A method is disclosed for fabricating monocrystal material with the bandgap width exceeding 1.8 eV. The method comprises the steps of processing a monocrystal semiconductor wafer to develop a porous layer through electrolytic treatment of the wafer at direct current under UV-illumination, and epitaxially growing a monocrystal layer on said porous layer. Growth on porous layer produces semiconductor material with reduced stress and better characteristics than with the same material grown on non-porous layers and substrates. Also, semiconductor device structure comprising at least one layer of porous group III material is included.

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Montgomery Village, MD, United States of America

Alexander L Syrkin