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Method for Growing High-Quality Group III-Nitride Crystals

Technology Benefits

Allows the production of high-quality group III-nitride crystals Impurities are prevented from being incorporated into grown crystals Lower production costs (source materials and nutrients can be recycled)

Technology Application

Production of group III-nitride crystals  This technology is available for a non-exclusive license.

Detailed Technology Description

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have developed a novel method for growing group Ill-nitride crystals in supercritical ammonia. The group III-nitride bulk crystal is grown in an autoclave in supercritical ammonia using a source material or nutrient and a seed crystal. The supercritical ammonia provides for high solubility of the source materials and high transport speed of dissolved precursors. This method uses an internal chamber equipped with a pressure releasing device that enables the safe filling of ammonia and an exact balancing of the pressure inside and outside the internal chamber.  The present invention suppresses the generation of particles from the source material and prevents the adhesion of the particles from the source material on the seed crystals. Thus, this invention produces high quality group III-nitride crystals and reduces production costs, since the source materials and nutrients are recyclable.

Supplementary Information

Patent Number: US8709371B2
Application Number: US2007921396A
Inventor: Fujito, Kenji | Hashimoto, Tadao | Nakamura, Shuji
Priority Date: 8 Jul 2005
Priority Number: US8709371B2
Application Date: 30 Nov 2007
Publication Date: 29 Apr 2014
IPC Current: C01B002106 | C30B002300 | C30B002500 | C30B002812 | C30B002814
US Class: 423409 | 117084
Assignee Applicant: The Regents of the University of California | Japan Science and Technology Agency,Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture
Title: Method for growing group III-nitride crystals in supercritical ammonia using an autoclave
Usefulness: Method for growing group III-nitride crystals in supercritical ammonia using an autoclave
Summary: For growing group III-nitride (e.g. gallium nitride) crystals (claimed).
Novelty: Growing group III-nitride e.g. gallium nitride crystals involves raising temperature so that convection of supercritical ammonia deposits only transferred source materials of specific grain size on seed crystals

Industry

Chemical/Material

Sub Category

Chemical/Material Application

Application No.

8709371

Others

Background

The growth of a bulk crystal of a group III-nitride (such as GaN, AlN, and LiN) presents some difficulties, since group III-nitrides have a high melting point and high nitrogen vapor pressure at high temperature. Some methods, such as high-pressure high-temperature synthesis and sodium flux, have been used to obtain bulk group III-nitride crystals. However, the crystal shape obtained by these methods is a thin platelet because these methods are based on a melt of group III metal, in which nitrogen has very low solubility and a low diffusion coefficient.

Additional Technologies by these Inventors

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• Cleaved Facet Edge-Emitting Laser Diodes Grown on Semipolar GaN
• Enhancing Growth of Semipolar (Al,In,Ga,B)N Films via MOCVD
• GaN-Based Thermoelectric Device for Micro-Power Generation
• Growth of High-Quality, Thick, Non-Polar M-Plane GaN Films
• Growth of Planar Semi-Polar Gallium Nitride
• MOCVD Growth of Planar Non-Polar M-Plane Gallium Nitride
• Lateral Growth Method for Defect Reduction of Semipolar Nitride Films
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• Improved GaN Substrates Prepared with Ammonothermal Growth
• Enhanced Optical Polarization of Nitride LEDs by Increased Indium Incorporation
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• Hexagonal Wurtzite Type Epitaxial Layer with a Low Alkali-Metal Concentration
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• Method for Manufacturing Improved III-Nitride LEDs and Laser Diodes: Monolithic Integration of Optically Pumped and Electrically Injected III-Nitride LEDs
• Semi-polar LED/LD Devices on Relaxed Template with Misfit Dislocation at Hetero-interface
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• Suppression of Defect Formation and Increase in Critical Thickness by Silicon Doping
• High Efficiency Semipolar AlGaN-Cladding-Free Laser Diodes
• Low-Cost Zinc Oxide for High-Power-Output, GaN-Based LEDs (UC Case 2010-183)
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• Optimization of Laser Bar Orientation for Nonpolar Laser Diodes
• UV Optoelectronic Devices Based on Nonpolar and Semi-polar AlInN and AlInGaN Alloys
• Low-Droop LED Structure on GaN Semi-polar Substrates
• Improved Fabrication of Nonpolar InGaN Thin Films, Heterostructures, and Devices
• Growth of High-Performance M-plane GaN Optical Devices
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• Technique for the Nitride Growth of Semipolar Thin Films, Heterostructures, and Semiconductor Devices
• Planar, Nonpolar M-Plane III-Nitride Films Grown on Miscut Substrates
• High-Efficiency, Mirrorless Non-Polar and Semi-Polar Light Emitting Devices
• High Light Extraction Efficiency III-Nitride LED
• Tunable White Light Based on Polarization-Sensitive LEDs
• Method for Improved Surface of (Ga,Al,In,B)N Films on Nonpolar or Semipolar Subtrates
• Improved Anisotropic Strain Control in Semipolar Nitride Devices
• III-Nitride Tunnel Junction with Modified Interface
• Hybrid Growth Method for Improved III-Nitride Tunnel Junction Devices
• Contact Architectures for Tunnel Junction Devices
• Internal Heating for Ammonothermal Growth of Group-III Nitride Crystals
• Methods for Fabricating III-Nitride Tunnel Junction Devices
• Multifaceted III-Nitride Surface-Emitting Laser
• Laser Diode System For Horticultural Lighting
• Fabricating Nitride Layers
• Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers with Continuous Wave Operation
• Laser Lighting System Incorporating an Additional Scattered Laser

Tech ID/UC Case

21909/2005-339-0

Related Cases

2005-339-0

*Abstract

A novel method for growing group Ill-nitride crystals in supercritical ammonia.

*IP Issue Date

Apr 29, 2014

*Principal Investigator

Name: Kenji Fujito

Department:

Name: Tadao Hashimoto

Department:

Name: Shuji Nakamura

Department:

Country/Region

USA