Bulk GaN Substrates Research Articles

1.1-kV Vertical GaN p-n Diodes With p-GaN Regrown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

High-voltage vertical regrown p-n junction diodes on bulk GaN substrates are reported in this letter with molecular-beam-epitaxy regrown p-GaN on metalorganic-chemical-vapor-deposition grown n-GaN drift region. The highest breakdown voltage is measured at 1135 V, and the differential on-resistance is 3.9 mOhm.cm2 at room temperature. The forward I–V show a turn-ON voltage near 3.9 V and an ideality factor of 2.5. Electroluminescence measurement of regrown p-n junctions shows ~30 times reduced emission intensity compared with as-grown p-n junctions, indicating presence of excessive non-radiative recombination centers introduced by the regrowth process. Temperature dependent reverse I–V measurements suggest that variable range hopping inside the depleted regrown p-GaN layer is likely the mechanism of the reverse leakage. This is the first high-voltage vertical regrown p-n junction ever reported in the GaN system.

Sputtered growth of high mobility InN thin films on different substrates using Cu-ZnO buffer layer

This work reports the growth of c-plane textured InN thin films on Cu-ZnO buffered silicon, c-sapphire, bulk GaN and quartz substrates. A Cu-ZnO buffer layer was deposited on all the substrates before the growth of InN film. A highly c textured film was obtained on sapphire and quartz substrates. Structural properties were calculated using XRD and Raman analysis. It was observed that, induction of Cu-ZnO buffer layer reduced the lattice mismatch between Si/GaN substrates and InN film. The bandgap of the films was obtained using UV visible reflectance spectroscopy. Hall measurements show high mobility films in the range of 119–223cm2/Vs and an electron concentration of 1019. These results are in good agreement with previous results but are first time recorded using RF magnetron sputtering. Surface topography of the films showed smooth surfaces, which are due to reduced lattice mismatch between film and the substrate.

Nonpolar and semipolar InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well solar cells with improved carrier collection efficiency

We demonstrate the nonpolar and semipolar InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well (MQW) solar cells grown on the nonpolar m-plane and semipolar (202¯1) plane bulk GaN substrates. The optical properties and photovoltaic performance of the nonpolar and semipolar InGaN solar cells were systematically studied, and the results were compared to the conventional polar c-plane devices. The absorption spectra, current density–voltage (J–V) characteristics, external quantum efficiency (EQE), and internal quantum efficiency (IQE) were measured for nonpolar m-plane, semipolar (202¯1) plane, and polar c-plane InGaN/GaN MQW solar cells. Nonpolar m-plane InGaN/GaN MQW solar cells showed the best performance across all devices, with a high open-circuit voltage of 2.32 V, a low bandgap-voltage offset of 0.59 V, and the highest EQE and IQE. In contrast, the polar c-plane device showed the lowest EQE despite the highest absorption spectra. This huge difference is attributed to the better carrier transport and collection on nonpolar m-plane devices due to the reduced polarization effects, which were further confirmed by bias-dependent EQE measurements and energy band diagram simulations. This study demonstrates the high potential of nonpolar and semipolar InGaN solar cells and can serve as guidance for the future design and fabrication of high efficiency III-nitride solar cells.

High-Performance GaN Vertical Fin Power Transistors on Bulk GaN Substrates

This letter reports a GaN vertical fin power field-effect-transistor structure with submicron fin-shaped channels on bulk GaN substrates. In this vertical transistor design only n-GaN layers are needed, while no material regrowth or p-GaN layer is required. A combined dry/wet etch was used to get smooth fin vertical sidewalls. The fabricated transistor demonstrated a threshold voltage of 1 V and specific on resistance of 0.36 ${\mathrm {m}}\Omega {\mathrm {cm}}^{2}$ . By proper electric field engineering, 800 V blocking voltage was achieved at a gate bias of 0 V.

A comparative study of InN growth on quartz, silicon, C-sapphire and bulk GaN substrates by RF magnetron sputtering

In this work, we investigate the growth of indium nitride (InN) films on quartz, bulk GaN, sapphire (001) and Si (111) substrates. An InN buffer layer was first deposited on all the substrates, then an InN film was grown on bare substrate and InN buffered substrates. The films were polycrystalline in nature with preferred orientation along (002) plane. Best structural quality was observed on InN buffered Si substrate. The structural properties were explained by calculating the full width at half maximum, crystallite size, micro-strain, and dislocation density. The morphology of the films revealed similar granular features except for bare sapphire substrate which showed cracks and more oxygen percentage. The application of buffer layer increased the surface roughness for quartz and reduced in other cases. The band gap of InN films was determined using UV–visible reflectance spectroscopy. The lowest band gap value was observed for InN buffered quartz substrate.

In Situ <italic>O</italic>xide, <italic>G</italic>aN Interlayer-Based Vertical Trench MOS<italic>FET</italic> (<italic>OG-FET</italic>) on Bulk GaN substrates

In this letter, we report on high breakdown voltage in situ oxide, GaN interlayer-based vertical trench MOSFETs (OG-FETs) on bulk GaN substrates. Following our previous work on OG-FETs on GaN on sapphire, utilizing a low damage gate-trench etch and using bulk GaN substrates, a breakdown voltage of 990 V with an on-resistance 2.6 $\text{m}\Omega ~\cdot $ cm2, was achieved. Without edge termination, a high breakdown field of 1.6 MV/cm was achieved in these devices.

Vertical transport through AlGaN barriers in heterostructures grown by ammonia molecular beam epitaxy and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

The results of vertical transport through AlGaN heterobarriers are presented for ammonia molecular beam epitaxy (NH3-MBE) on c-plane GaN on sapphire templates and on m-plane bulk GaN substrates, as well as by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on m-plane bulk GaN substrates. Experiments were performed to determine the role of the AlGaN alloy as an effective barrier to vertical transport, which is an essential component of both optoelectronic and power electronic devices. The alloy composition, thickness, and doping levels of the AlGaN layers, as well as substrate orientation, were systematically varied to examine their influence on electron transport. Atom probe tomography (APT) was used to directly determine the alloy composition at the atomic scale to reveal the presence of random alloy fluctuations which provides insight into the nature of the observed transport.

Deep-level defects related to the emissive pits in thick InGaN films on GaN template and bulk substrates

We studied the emissive pits in InGaN films grown on compressive and strain-free GaN underlying layers. Pit density decreased with the full width at half maximum of ω(0002) of InGaN. The films grew on compressive and strain-free GaN underlying layers with spiral and step-flow modes, respectively. Carbon impurities accumulated inside the pits. Comparison of cathodoluminescence inside the pits and steady-state photocapacitance spectra showed that the energy level of the carbon impurities appeared at ∼2.8 eV below the conduction band (Ec) for both types of pits. Deep-level defects at Ec −2.4 eV resulting in green fluorescence emission were considered to originate from pits related to screw dislocations.

Selective area growth of GaN on trench-patterned nonpolar bulk GaN substrates

Selective area growth of GaN (SAG-GaN) films grown on nonpolar m-plane bulk GaN substrates using trench patterns was performed by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. We investigated the transformation of SAG-GaN facet structures by changing growth temperature, ambient, and miscut angle of substrates. Substrates with trench patterns along a-axis formed (10-11), (10-10), and (000-1) facet structures after SAG-GaN growth for growth conditions of 800°C in N2+NH3 and 1000°C in H2+NH3 ambience. Those with trench pattern along 45° off from a-axis contained (11-22), (10-10), (0-110) facet structures in substrates with a miscut angle of 5° whereas SAG-GaN films completely coalesced and formed smooth (10-10) surface in substrates with a miscut angle of 1°. Undesirable grains were formed for 800°C in N2+NH3 ambience regardless of the miscut angle of substrates whereas theses grains were annihilated using 1000°C in H2+NH3 ambience due to the intensively hydrogen etching.

Improvements in the Annealing of Mg Ion Implanted GaN and Related Devices

The activation of ion implanted p-type dopants in GaN is notoriously difficult as the extremely high temperatures required to activate implanted Mg also damage the GaN crystal. In this paper, we present refinements to our novel annealing process (symmetric multicycle rapid thermal annealing) to reduce surface damage and contamination responsible for elevated leakage currents and non-ideal diode behavior. Furthermore, we apply the technique to Mg-implanted bulk GaN substrates to enable vertical power device structures, demonstrating rectifying p-i-n junctions. In addition, the technique was applied for edge termination in both p-i-n and Schottky barrier diodes, realizing floating guard ring and junction termination extension structures. The processes demonstrated here represents a key enabling step for future GaN-based power devices.

Identification of the primary compensating defect level responsible for determining blocking voltage of vertical GaN power diodes

Electrical performance and characterization of deep levels in vertical GaN P-i-N diodes grown on low threading dislocation density (∼104 - 106 cm−2) bulk GaN substrates are investigated. The lightly doped n drift region of these devices is observed to be highly compensated by several prominent deep levels detected using deep level optical spectroscopy at Ec-2.13, 2.92, and 3.2 eV. A combination of steady-state photocapacitance and lighted capacitance-voltage profiling indicates the concentrations of these deep levels to be Nt = 3 × 1012, 2 × 1015, and 5 × 1014 cm−3, respectively. The Ec-2.92 eV level is observed to be the primary compensating defect in as-grown n-type metal-organic chemical vapor deposition GaN, indicating this level acts as a limiting factor for achieving controllably low doping. The device blocking voltage should increase if compensating defects reduce the free carrier concentration of the n drift region. Understanding the incorporation of as-grown and native defects in thick n-GaN is essential for enabling large VBD in the next-generation wide-bandgap power semiconductor devices. Thus, controlling the as-grown defects induced by epitaxial growth conditions is critical to achieve blocking voltage capability above 5 kV.

Role of substrate quality on the performance of semipolar (112¯2) InGaN light-emitting diodes

We compare the optical properties and device performance of unpackaged InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting at ∼430 nm grown simultaneously on a high-cost small-size bulk semipolar (112¯2) GaN substrate (Bulk-GaN) and a low-cost large-size (112¯2) GaN template created on patterned (101¯2) r-plane sapphire substrate (PSS-GaN). The Bulk-GaN substrate has the threading dislocation density (TDD) of ∼105 cm−2–106 cm−2 and basal-plane stacking fault (BSF) density of 0 cm−1, while the PSS-GaN substrate has the TDD of ∼2 × 108 cm−2 and BSF density of ∼1 × 103 cm−1. Despite an enhanced light extraction efficiency, the LED grown on PSS-GaN has two-times lower internal quantum efficiency than the LED grown on Bulk-GaN as determined by photoluminescence measurements. The LED grown on PSS-GaN substrate also has about two-times lower output power compared to the LED grown on Bulk-GaN substrate. This lower output power was attributed to the higher TDD and BSF density.

Photoelectrochemical liftoff of LEDs grown on freestanding c-plane GaN substrates.

We demonstrate a thin-film flip-chip (TFFC) process for LEDs grown on freestanding c-plane GaN substrates. LEDs are transferred from a bulk GaN substrate to a sapphire submount via a photoelectrochemical (PEC) undercut etch. This PEC liftoff method allows for substrate reuse and exposes the N-face of the LEDs for additional roughening. The LEDs emitted at a wavelength of 432 nm with a turn on voltage of ~3 V. Etching the LEDs in heated KOH after transferring them to a sapphire submount increased the peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) by 42.5% from 9.9% (unintentionally roughened) to 14.1% (intentionally roughened).

Tri-halide vapor-phase epitaxy of GaN using GaCl3 on polar, semipolar, and nonpolar substrates

Homoepitaxial tri-halide vapor-phase epitaxy (THVPE) growth on polar, semipolar, and nonpolar bulk GaN substrates was demonstrated using GaCl3 as the precursor. The influence of the surface orientation of the substrate on GaN growth by THVPE was compared with that observed for GaN grown by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy. The dependence of the GaN growth on the surface orientation of the substrate was confirmed; GaN could be grown on , , , , and but not on , , , or . This behavior was explained to be due to the changes in adsorption energy, the magnitudes of which were estimated by theoretical calculations.

Dynamic characteristics of 410 nm semipolar (202¯1¯) III-nitride laser diodes with a modulation bandwidth of over 5 GHz

The dynamic characteristics of III-nitride multi-quantum well laser diodes (LDs) emitting at 410 nm were investigated. LDs were grown on semipolar (202¯1¯) bulk GaN substrates and fabricated into devices with cavity lengths ranging from 900 nm to 1800 nm. A 3-dB bandwidth of 5 GHz and 5 Gbit/s direct modulation with on-off keying were demonstrated, which were limited by the bandwidth of the photodetector used for the measurements. The differential gain of the LDs was determined to be 2.5 ± 0.5 × 10−16 cm2 by comparing the slope efficiency for different cavity lengths. Analysis of the frequency response showed that the K-factor, the gain compression factor, and the intrinsic maximum bandwidth were 0.33 ns, 7.4 × 10−17 cm3, and 27 GHz, respectively.

(Invited) Improved Vertical GaN Diodes with Mg Ion Implanted Junction Termination Extension

GaN is an ideal material for power applications due to its high breakdown field, high switching speed, and low switching losses. The ability to implant and activate dopants, particularly p-type dopants, in GaN still remains a challenge. Dopant implantation and activation is crucial for many devices since it is the most straightforward method of selective lateral doping in GaN. Devices such as the current aperture vertical electron transistor (CAVET), Schottky diodes with guard ring termination or grayscale junction termination extension, and vertical p-i-n diodes will be enhanced and enabled by the ability to selectively dope GaN without the need for etching or regrowth. We have previously reported on the first implanted p-i-n diode fabricated on a bulk GaN substrate. Here, we present improved GaN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) and p-i-n diodes with edge termination formed by either a field plate or junction termination extension (JTE) achieved by ion implanted and symmetric multicycle rapid thermal annealing (SMRTA). The devices with JTE exhibited substantially reduced leakage currents and improved turn-on characteristics. This is attributed to the elimination of the plasma process steps associated with the deposition and patterning of the field oxide layer required in a field plate process. The breakdown characteristics were studied by electroluminescence imaging, and is indicative of avalanche behavior. The realization of vertical GaN devices with low reverse leakage and ion implanted termination regions represents a key step for future power electronic devices.

Critical issues for homoepitaxial GaN growth by molecular beam epitaxy on hydride vapor-phase epitaxy-grown GaN substrates

While the heteroepitaxial growth of gallium nitride-based materials and devices on substrates such as SiC, sapphire, and Si has been well-documented, the lack of a cost-effective source of bulk GaN crystals has hindered similar progress on homoepitaxy. Nevertheless, freestanding GaN wafers are becoming more widely available, and there is great interest in growing GaN films and devices on bulk GaN substrates, in order to take advantage of the greatly reduced density of threading dislocations, particularly for vertical devices. However, homoepitaxial GaN growth is far from a trivial task due to the reactivity and different chemical sensitivities of N-polar (0001) and Ga-polar (0001) GaN surfaces, which can affect the microstructure and concentrations of impurities in homoepitaxial GaN layers. In order to achieve high quality, high purity homoepitaxial GaN, it is necessary to investigate the effect of the ex situ wet chemical clean, the use of in situ cleaning procedures, the sensitivity of the GaN surface to thermal decomposition, and the effect of growth temperature. We review the current understanding of these issues with a focus on homoepitaxial growth of GaN by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on c-plane surfaces of freestanding GaN substrates grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE), as HVPE-grown substrates are most widely available. We demonstrate methods for obtaining homoepitaxial GaN layers by plasma-assisted MBE in which no additional threading dislocations are generated from the regrowth interface and impurity concentrations are greatly reduced.

(Invited) Manufacturing Microwave AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) on Truly Bulk Semi-Insulating GaN Substrates

The substrate of choice for high power microwave GaN-based devices is silicon carbide. However recently novel semi-insulating truly bulk GaN substrates with excellent crystalline and electrical parameters have been developed by Ammono S..A. These allow to elaborate AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with high electron mobility values and density of two-dimensional electron gas. Developed processing steps, especially planar isolation by ion implantation and formation of low resistivity regrown ohmic contacts enabled fabrication of high quality devices. An 1000 mA/mm on-state current density along with low 4.4 Ω/mm on-state resistance were achieved. For the devices with rectangular, 0.8 μm gate length the fMAG and fs were 31 GHz and 22 GHz. The maximum output power density was more than 4.15 W/mm in S-band.

Electrical properties of III-Nitride LEDs: Recombination-based injection model and theoretical limits to electrical efficiency and electroluminescent cooling

The current-voltage characteristic and ideality factor of III-Nitride quantum well light-emitting diodes (LEDs) grown on bulk GaN substrates are investigated. At operating temperature, these electrical properties exhibit a simple behavior. A model in which only active-region recombinations have a contribution to the LED current is found to account for experimental results. The limit of LED electrical efficiency is discussed based on the model and on thermodynamic arguments, and implications for electroluminescent cooling are examined.

Highly repeatable room temperature negative differential resistance in AlN/GaN resonant tunneling diodes grown by molecular beam epitaxy

AlN/GaN resonant tunneling diodes grown on low dislocation density semi-insulating bulk GaN substrates via plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy are reported. The devices were fabricated using a six mask level, fully isolated process. Stable room temperature negative differential resistance (NDR) was observed across the entire sample. The NDR exhibited no hysteresis, background light sensitivity, or degradation of any kind after more than 1000 continuous up-and-down voltage sweeps. The sample exhibited a ∼90% yield of operational devices which routinely displayed an average peak current density of 2.7 kA/cm2 and a peak-to-valley current ratio of ≈1.15 across different sizes.