High-Quality N-Face GaN, InN, AlN by MOCVD

Growth of InGaN at higher temperaturesCapable of using any off-cut substrateLower turn-on voltage and increased efficiency

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have developed a novel method that allows for the growth of smooth, high quality m-plane films. The invention enables heteroepitaxial growth of smooth m-plane films by MOCVD onto any off-cut substrate, e.g., sapphire or silicon carbide. The different physical properties provided by m-plane allow for the design of new LEDs and laser diodes. M-plane also allows for the growth of InGaN at higher temperatures than traditional Ga-face.  M-plane materials enable the growth of better quality, high Indium composition InGaN alloys which are currently needed to create high power devices in the green, yellow, and red parts of the color spectrum. Additionally, m-plane provides an electric field in the opposite direction of c-plane, which results in increased efficiency in light-emitting devices.

Patent Number: US7566580B2
Application Number: US2007855591A
Inventor: Keller, Stacia | Mishra, Umesh Kumar | Fichtenbaum, Nicholas A.
Priority Date: 15 Nov 2006
Priority Number: US7566580B2
Application Date: 14 Sep 2007
Publication Date: 28 Jul 2009
IPC Current: H01L002120
US Class: 438046 | 438483
Assignee Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
Title: Method for heteroepitaxial growth of high-quality N-face GaN, InN, and AIN and their alloys by metal organic chemical vapor deposition
Usefulness: Method for heteroepitaxial growth of high-quality N-face GaN, InN, and AIN and their alloys by metal organic chemical vapor deposition
Summary: For growing N-face group III nitride film useful for fabricating a device (claimed) such as transistor, solar cells, devices utilizing tunnel junctions, LEDs, and electronics and optoelectronic nitride devices such as N-face transistors (HEMTs); for hetero-epitaxial growth of high quality, nitrogen (N) face gallium nitride (GaN), indium nitride (InN), aluminum nitride (AlN), and their alloys.
Novelty: Growing a smooth N-face group III nitride film useful for fabricating a device such as electronic and optoelectronic nitride devices, involves use of substrate having a growth surface with a misorientation angle

Environmental/Green Technology

Solar Cell

7566580

Background

The use of group III nitride materials in optoelectronic devices is widespread. However, one of the major challenges of III-nitiride based light emitters is the growth of high quality InGaN with high Indium composition. Devices using c-plane limit the temperature at which InGaN can be grown; this limits the types of devices that can be made. Traditional c-plane GaN suffers from inversion, while m-plane does not. Conversely, most m-plane GaN films grown by MOCVD, the most common growth method for large scale fabrication of GaN-based devices, are characterized by large hexagonal features that make the material unacceptable for device applications.

 

Additional Technologies by these Inventors

• Novel Current-Blocking Layer in High-Power Current Aperture Vertical Electron Transistors (CAVETs)
• (In,Ga,Al)N Optoelectronic Devices with Thicker Active Layers for Improved Performance
• Polarization-Doped Field Effect Transistors with Increased Performance
• Defect Reduction in GaN films using in-situ SiNx Nanomask
• GaN-based Vertical Metal Oxide Semiconductor and Junction Field Effect Transistors
• Improved Fabrication of Nonpolar InGaN Thin Films, Heterostructures, and Devices
• Technique for the Nitride Growth of Semipolar Thin Films, Heterostructures, and Semiconductor Devices
• A Structure For Increasing Mobility In A High-Electron-Mobility Transistor
• III-N Based Material Structures and Circuit Modules Based on Strain Management
• Achieving “Active P-Type Layer/Layers” In III-Nitride Epitaxial Or Device Structures Having Buried P-Type Layers
• Improved Performance of III-Nitride Photonic Devices
• Gated Electrodes For Electrolysis And Electrosynthesis
• Fabrication of N-face to Improve Telecommunications Efficiency
• Methods for Locally Changing the Electric Field Distribution in Electron Devices

Tech ID/UC Case

23651/2007-121-0

Related Cases

2007-121-0

USA

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