METHOD FOR PRODUCING GROUP III METAL NITRIDE BASED MATERIALS

• Main Authors: WILLIAMS, N., MARK, HANSER, ANDREW, D, CARLSON, ERIC, P, CUOMO, JEROME, J, THOMAS, DARIN, T
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 12.10.2011
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUSPOLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; APPARATUS THEREFOR; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; CRYSTAL GROWTH; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITHDEFINED STRUCTURE; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITHDEFINED STRUCTURE; SINGLE-CRYSTAL-GROWTH; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL ORUNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL

A high deposition rate sputter method is utilized to produce bulk, single-crystal, low-defect density Group III nitride materials suitable for microelectronic and optoelectronic devices and as substrates for subsequent epitaxy, and to produce highly oriented polycrystalline windows. A template material having an epitaxial-initiating growth surface is provided. A Group III metal target is sputtered in a plasma-enhanced environment using a sputtering apparatus comprising a non-thermionic electron/plasma injector assembly, thereby to producing a Group III metal source vapor. The Group III metal source vapor is combined with a nitrogen-containing gas to produce a reactant vapor species comprising Group III metal and nitrogen. The reactant vapor species is deposited on the growth surface to produce a single-crystal MN layer thereon. The template material is removed, thereby providing a free-standing, single-crystal MN article having a diameter of approximately 0.5 inch or greater and a thickness of approximately 50 microns or greater.