Patent · US Expired

Method for forming a low-defect epitaxial layer in the fabrication of semiconductor devices

US6306675A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
8References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 8, 1999
Grant dateOct 23, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 8, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/02658
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In semiconductor devices such as laser diodes (LD) and light emitting diodes (LED) based on gallium nitride thin films, low defect density is desired in the gallium nitride film. In the fabrication of such devices on a silicon carbide substrate surface, the gallium nitride film is formed on the silicon carbide substrate after the substrate surface is etched using hydrogen at an elevated temperature. In another embodiment, an aluminum nitride film is formed as a buffer layer between the gallium nitride film and the silicon carbide substrate, and, prior to aluminum nitride formation, the substrate surface is etched using hydrogen at an elevated temperature.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.