Electrochemical liftoff of freestanding GaN by a thick highly conductive sacrificial layer grown by HVPE

Separation technology is an indispensable step in the preparation of freestanding GaN substrate. In this paper, a largearea freestanding GaN layer was separated from the substrate by an electrochemical liftoff process on a sandwich structure composed of an Fe-doped GaN substrate, a highly conductive Si-doped sacrificial layer and a top Fe-doped layer grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy(HVPE). The large difference between the resistivity in the Si-doped layer and Fe-doped layer resulted in a sharp interface between the etched and unetched layer. It was found that the etching rate increased linearly with the applied voltage, while it continuously decreased with the electrochemical etching process as a result of the mass transport limitation. Flaky GaN pieces and nitrogen gas generated from the sacrificial layer by electrochemical etching were recognized as the main factors responsible for the blocking of the etching channel. Hence, a thick Si-doped layer grown by HVPE was used as the sacrificial layer to alleviate this problem. Moreover, high temperature and ultrasonic oscillation were also found to increase the etching rate. Based on the results above, we succeeded in the liftoff of ～ 1.5 inch GaN layer. This work could help reduce the cost of freestanding GaN substrate and identifies a new way for mass production.     

Growth of bulk GaN in a vertical hydride vapour phase epitaxy reactor

Using the hydride vapour phase epitaxy technique, we have grown 2-inch diameter bulk GaN material with a thickness up to 2 mm. The growth was performed in a vertical hot-walled reactor at atmospheric pressure. In this geometry, the process gases are distributed from the bottom upwards through the reactor. We present recent results on growth and characterization of the bulk GaN material. The structural and optical properties of the layers have been studied using decorative etching, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, cathodoluminescence, and low temperature photoluminescence.     

Properties of GaN on different polarity buffer layers by hydride vapour phase epitaxy

This paper reports on N-, mixed-, and Ga-polarity buffer layers are grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on sapphire (0001) substrates, with the GaN thicker films grown on the buffer layer with different polarity by hydride vapour epitaxy technique (HVPE). The surface morphology, structural and optical properties of these HVPE-GaN epilayers are characterized by wet chemical etching, scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence spectrum respectively. It finds that the N-polarity film is unstable against the higher growth temperature and wet chemical etching, while that of GaN polarity one is stable. The results indicate that the crystalline quality of HVPE-GaN epilayers depends on the polarity of buffer layers.     

Thermal conductivity, dislocation density and GaN device design

The performance of high power transistor devices is intimately connected to the substrate thermal conductivity. In this study, the relationship between thermal conductivity and dislocation density is examined using the 3 omega technique and free standing HVPE GaN substrates. Dislocation density is measured using imaging cathodoluminescence. In a low dislocation density regime below 10⁵ cm⁻², the thermal conductivity appears to plateau out near 230 W/K m and can be altered by the presence of isotopic defects and point defects. For high dislocation densities the thermal conductivity is severely degraded due to phonon scattering from dislocations. These results are applied to the design of homoepitaxially and heteroepitaxially grown HEMT devices and the efficiency of heat extraction and the influence of lateral heat spreading on device performance are compared.     

HVPE外延GaN膜中黄带的光致发光激发谱研究

测量了氢化物气相外延方法生长的非特意掺杂和掺碳GaN外延膜的光致发光谱，并在光致发光谱峰位2．25eV(550nm)附近分别测量了光致发光激发谱，对两者进行了比较．从光致发光谱中发现掺碳使黄带明显增强，从光致发光激发谱中看到了掺碳引起的约3．38～2．67eV(367～465nn)范围内的特征激发带．利用CC曲线模型说明了特征激发带和黄带之间的关系，分析了黄带的可能起因．     

Characterization of thick HVPE GaN films

The morphology of the top surface for HVPE GaN layers grown on a MOCVD GaN template with a thin LT-AlN interlayer was investigated. This surface is characterized by the formation of numerous hillocks associated with screw dislocations or nanopipes. Their size is large and may reach more than 1 mm. The rocking curves of the 002 and 102 reflections correspond to a relaxed layer. The HREM images of the as-deposited and annealed interlayers show a perfect atomic structure with a very abrupt AlN/HVPE GaN interface. Thus, the deposition of the LT-AlN layer has promoted the growth of an HVPE layer with an excellent crystalline quality.     

The effect of thermal reactor neutron irradiation on semi-insulating GaN

Semi-insulating Gallium nitride was irradiated by fast and thermal neutrons with fluences from 10¹⁴ to 10¹⁶ n/cm². Depth-resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy was used to determine defects changes before and after irradiation. The results revealed two kinds of defects affected near-band emission recombination from two opposite directions. One was attributed to irradiation-induced N vacancies that contribute to near-band emission recombination. Another was attributed to irradiation-induced deep level defects that contribute to sub-band gap recombination and thus decrease the near-band emission recombination.     

Simulation of polarization effects in AlGaN/GaN heterojunction

Because of their large band-gap, large high-field electron velocity, large breakdownfield, and large thermal conductivity, GaN and its heterojunction with AlGaN and InGaNhave foreseeable potential in the applications of high-power/temperature electronics, andoptoelectronic devices operative in UV and visible wavelength. Polarization inducedelectric field can reach the magnitude of ~MV/cm[1,2]. For AlGaN/GaN based FETs theconcentration of sheet carrier induced by polarization in the cha…     

GaN氢化物气相外延生长系统的设计与制作

根据GaN氢化物气相外延生长(HVPE)的原理,设计制作了双温区卧式HVPE系统．根据实际生长中出现的问题和CaN样品的测试情况,对系统进行了逐步的调试和改进．     

DLTS study of n-type GaN grown by MOCVD on GaN substrates

Electron traps in n-type GaN layers grown homoepitaxially by MOCVD on free-standing GaN substrates have been characterized using DLTS for vertical Schottky diodes. Two free-standing HVPE GaN substrates (A and B), obtained from two different sources, are used. The Si-doped GaN layers with the thickness of 5 μm are grown on an area of 0.9×0.9 cm² of substrate A and on an area of 1×1 cm² of substrate B. Two traps labeled B1 and B2 are observed with trap B2 dominant in GaN on both substrates. There exist no dislocation-related traps which have been previously observed in MOCVD GaN on sapphire. This might be correlated to the reduction in dislocation density due to the homoepitaxial growth. However, it is found that there is a large variation, more than an order of magnitude, in trap B2 concentration and that the B2 spatial distributions are different between the two substrates used.     

Hexagonal (wurtzite) GaN inclusions as a defect in cubic (zinc-blende) GaN

The dependence of the hexagonal fraction with thickness in MBE-grown bulk cubic (c-) GaN epilayer is presented in this paper. A number of c-GaN epilayers with different thicknesses were characterized via PL and XRD measurements. From the PL spectra, the signal due to h-GaN inclusions increases as the thickness of the c-GaN increases. On the contrary, in the XRD diffractogram, c-GaN shows a dominant signal at all thicknesses, and only a weak peak at ∼35° is observed in the diffractogram, implying the existence of a small amount of h-GaN in the c-GaN layer. The best quality of c-GaN is observed in the first 10 μm of GaN on the top of GaAs substrate. Even though the hexagonal content increases with the thickness, the average content remains below 20% in c-GaN layers up to 50 μm thick. The surface morphology of thick c-GaN is also presented.     

Mg+注入对GaN晶体辐射损伤的研究

在蓝宝石衬底上通过金属有机物化学气相沉积(metal-organic chemical vapor deposition,MOCVD)方法外延生长的GaN薄膜具有良好的结晶品质,xmin达到2.00%.结合卢瑟福背散射/沟道(Rutherford backscattering/channeling,RBS/C)和高分辨X射线衍射(high-resolution X-ray diffraction,HXRD)的实验测量,研究了不同剂量和不同角度Mg+注入GaN所造成的辐射损伤.实验结果表明,随注入剂量的增大,晶体的辐射损伤也增大,注入剂量在1×1015atom/cm2以下,xmix小于4.78%,1×1016atom/cm2是Mg+注入GaN的剂量阈值,超过这个阈值,结晶品质急剧变差,xmin达到29.5%;随机注入比沟道注入的辐射损伤大,且在一定范围内随注入角度的增大,损伤也增大,在4×1015atom/cm2剂量下偏离〈0001〉沟道0°,4°,6°,9°时的xmin(%)分别为6.28,8.46,10.06,10.85;经过700℃/10min+1050℃/20s两步退火和1000℃/30s高温快速退火后,晶体的辐射损伤都有一定程度的恢复,而且1000℃/30s高温快速退火的效果更好,晶体的辐射损伤可以得到更好的恢复.     

Roles of V/III ratio and mixture degree in GaN growth: CFD and MD simulation study

To understand the mechanism of Gallium nitride (GaN) film growth is of great importance for their potential applica- tions. In this paper, we investigate the growth behavior of the GaN film by combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Both of the simulations show that V/III mixture degree can have important impacts on the deposition behavior, and it is found that the more uniform the mixture is, the better the growth is. Besides, by using MD simulations, we illustrate the whole process of the GaN growth. Furthermore, we also find that the V/III ratio can affect the final roughness of the GaN film. When the V/III ratio is high, the surface of final GaN film is smooth. The present study provides insights into GaN growth from the macroscopic and microscopic views, which may provide some suggestions on better experimental GaN preparation.     

AlGaN/GaN槽栅HEMT模拟与实验研究

分析了栅槽深度对AlGaN/GaN HEMT特性的影响,并对不同栅槽深度的器件特性进行了模拟,得到了器件饱和电流、最大跨导和阈值电压随栅槽深度的变化规律.当槽栅深度增大,器件饱和电流逐渐下降,而最大跨导逐渐增大,阈值电压向X轴正方向移动.研制出不同栅槽深度的蓝宝石衬底AlGaN/GaN HEMT,用实验数据验证了得到的不同栅槽深度器件特性变化规律.从刻蚀损伤和刻蚀引入界面态的角度分析了模拟与实验规律产生差别的原因. 关键词： 高电子迁移率晶体管 AlGaN/GaN 槽栅器件     

GaN及AlGaN薄膜透射光谱的研究

利用透射光谱矩阵光学原理,对三种GaN或AlGaN外延薄膜的透射光谱进行了分析.在传统的透射光谱拟合方法的基础上,添加了表征材料表面粗糙度、膜内散射情况的拟合参量,拟合曲线与实验曲线达到了准确的吻合.结果表明:外延薄膜透射光谱的拟合可以准确提取出材料的消光系数、表面状况、散射情况、折射率及厚度,从而对样品质量作出详细的分析.     

N极性GaN/AlGaN异质结二维电子气模拟

通过自洽求解薛定谔方程和泊松方程,较系统地研究了GaN沟道层、AlGaN背势垒层、Si掺杂和AlN插入层对N极性GaN/AlGaN异质结中二维电子气(2DEG)的影响,分析表明,GaN沟道层厚度、AlGaN背势垒层厚度及Al组分变大都能一定程度上提高二维电子气面密度,AlGaN背势垒层的厚度和Al组分变大也可提高二维电子气限阈性,且不同的Si掺杂形式对二维电子气的影响也有差异,而AlN插入层在提高器件二维电子气面密度、限阈性等方面表现都较为突出,在模拟中GaN沟道层厚度小于5nm时无法形成二维电子气,超过20nm后二维电子气面密度趋于饱和,而AlGaN背势垒厚度超过40nm后二维电子气也有饱和趋势,对均匀掺杂和delta掺杂而言AlGaN背势垒层Si掺杂浓度超过5×10~(19)cm~(-3)后2DEG面密度开始饱和,而厚度为2nmAlN插入层的引入会使2DEG面密度从无AlN插入层时的0.93×10~(13)cm~(-2)提高到1.17×10~(13)cm~(-2)。     

Comparative Analysis of Temperature-dependent .Raman Spectra of GaN and GaN/Mg Films

The Raman spectra of unintentionally doped gallium nitride (GaN) and Mg-doped GaN films were investigated and compared at room temperature and low temperature. The differences of E₂ and A₁(LO) mode in two samples are discussed. Stress relaxation is observed in Mg-doped GaN, and it is suggested that Mg-induced misfit dislocation and electron–phonon interaction are the possible origins. A peak at 247 cm⁻¹ is observed in both the Raman spectra of GaN and Mg-doped GaN. Temperature-dependent Raman scattering experiment of Mg-doped GaN shows the frequency and intensity changes of this peak with temperature. This peak is attributed to the defect-induced vibrational mode. Translated from Chinese Journal of Semiconductors, 2005, 26(4) (in Chinese)     

负电子亲和势GaN光电阴极激活机理研究

利用自行研制的光电阴极激活评估实验系统,给出了GaN光电阴极Cs激活及Cs/O激活的光电流曲线.针对GaN光电阴极的负电子亲和势（NEA）特性的成因,结合激活过程中光电流变化规律和成功激活后的阴极表面模型,研究了NEA GaN光电阴极激活机理.实验表明：GaN光电阴极在单独导入Cs激活时就可获得明显的NEA特性,Cs/O激活时引入O后光电流的增长幅度不大.用双偶极层模型［GaN（Mg）：Cs］：O—Cs较好地解释了激活成功后GaN光电阴极NEA特性的成因. 关键词： 负电子亲和势 GaN 激活 光电流     

Effect of Si doping in wells of A1GaN/GaN superlattice on the characteristics of epitaxial layer

An A1GaN/GaN superlattice grown on the top of a GaN buffer induces the broadening of the full width at half maximum of （102） and （002） X-ray diffraction rocking curves. With an increase in the Si-doped concentration in the GaN wells, the full width at half maximum of the （102） rocking curves decreases, while that of the （002） rocking curves increases. A significant increase of the full width at the half maximum of the （002） rocking curves when the doping concentration reaches 2.5 × 10^19 cm-3 indicates the substantial increase of the inclined threading dislocation. High level doping in the A1GaN/GaN superlattice can greatly reduce the biaxial stress and optimize the surface roughness of the structures grown on the top of it.