IP Library Granted Patent US 7,972,711
Granted Patent B2
US 7,972,711 · App. 12/026,552 · Granted Jul 5, 2011

Large area, uniformly low dislocation density GaN substrate and process for making the same

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,972,711
App. No.
12/026,552
Granted
Jul 5, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

Large area single crystal III-V nitride material having an area of at least 2 cm 2 , having a uniformly low dislocation density not exceeding 3×10 6 dislocations per cm 2 of growth surface area, and including a plurality of distinct regions having elevated impurity concentration, wherein each distinct region has at least one dimension greater than 50 microns, is disclosed. Such material can be formed on a substrate by a process including (i) a first phase of growing the III-V nitride material on the substrate under pitted growth conditions, e.g., forming pits over at least 50% of the growth surface of the III-V nitride material, wherein the pit density on the growth surface is at least 10 2 pits/cm 2 of the growth surface, and (ii) a second phase of growing the III-V nitride material under pit-filling conditions.

Claims (28)

1. Large area single crystal III-V nitride material having an area of at least 2 cm 2 , having an average dislocation density not exceeding 3×10 6 dislocations per cm 2 of growth surface area, and including a plurality of distinct regions having elevated impurity concentration, wherein each distinct region has at least one dimension greater than 50 microns.

2. Material according to claim 1 , selected from the group consisting of AlN, InN, GaN, AlInN, AlInGaN, InGaN, and AlGaN.

3. GaN material according to claim 1 .

4. Material according to claim 1 , doped with a dopant species.

5. Material according to claim 4 , of a p-doped, n-doped or semi-insulatively doped character.

6. Material according to claim 1 , having a large area of greater than 15 cm 2 .

7. Material according to claim 1 , having a thickness of at least 0.1 mm.

8. Material according to claim 1 , having an average dislocation density not exceeding 1×10 6 cm −2 .

9. Material according to claim 1 , having a dislocation density standard deviation ratio of less than 50%.

10. Material according to claim 1 , having a dislocation density standard deviation ratio of less than 25%.

11. Material according to claim 1 , having a large area of greater than 15 cm 2 , a thickness of at least 0.1 mm, an average dislocation density not exceeding 1×10 6 cm−2, and a dislocation density standard deviation ratio of less than 25%.

12. Material according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of distinct regions having elevated impurity concentration is disposed on an outer surface of said material.

13. Material according to claim 1 , wherein said impurity comprises any of oxygen and silicon.

14. Material according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of distinct regions having elevated impurity concentration covers at least 50% of the growth surface area.

15. Material according to claim 1 , having a growth surface with a pit density not exceeding 3 pits/cm 2 .

16. Material according to claim 1 , having a pit-free growth surface.

17. A wafer comprising the material of claim 1 .

18. The wafer of claim 17 , having a diameter of from 5 cm to 20 cm.

19. The wafer of claim 17 , having at least one face thereof polished to a mirror finish.

20. The wafer of claim 17 , including a chemical mechanically polished gallium-terminated face.

21. The wafer of claim 17 , having a surface disposed at an angle relative to the c-plane of the III-V nitride crystal, wherein said angle is in a range of from about 0.1 to about 10 degrees.

22. The wafer of claim 17 , having at least one epitaxial layer thereon.

23. An electronic device article, including a wafer according to claim 17 and an electronic device structure fabricated on said wafer.

24. The electronic device article of claim 23 , wherein the electronic device structure includes a laser diode.

25. The electronic device article of claim 23 , wherein the electronic device structure includes a light-emitting diode.

26. The electronic device article of claim 23 , wherein the electronic device structure includes a high electron mobility transistor.

27. The electronic device article of claim 23 , wherein the electronic device structure comprises any of an integrated circuit and an optoelectronic device.

28. A wafer comprising the material of claim 1 , wherein the III-V nitride material comprises single crystal gallium nitride and the wafer includes a surface off-cut at an angle in a range of from about 0.2 to about 8 degrees toward 11-20 or 10-10 from a c-plane of said single crystal gallium nitride material.

Assignments (3)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COLLATERAL AT REEL/FRAME NO. 64185/0755 Recorded Sep 30, 2025
From: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: WOLFSPEED, INC.
Reel/Frame 072989/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 30, 2023
From: WOLFSPEED, INC.
To: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 064185/0755 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 22, 2021
From: CREE, INC.
To: WOLFSPEED, INC.
Reel/Frame 057891/0880 →