Nucleation of III-N on REO templates

1. A method of fabricating a layer of single crystal III-N material on a silicon substrate comprising:

providing a single crystal silicon substrate with a crystal lattice spacing;

epitaxially growing a rare earth oxide REO template on the silicon substrate, the template including a rare earth oxide layer adjacent the substrate with a crystal lattice spacing substantially matching the crystal lattice spacing of the substrate, and selecting the rare earth oxide layer to protect the substrate from nitridation;

forming one of a rare earth oxynitride or a rare earth nitride adjacent the upper surface of the template; and

epitaxially growing a layer of single crystal III-N material on the one of the rare earth oxynitride or the rare earth nitride.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rare earth oxide layer includes a rare earth oxide that is one of a material converted to a rare earth oxynitride by exposure to a nitrogen active species or a material that is substantially impervious to nitride and remains REO.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the rare earth oxide layer is converted to a rare earth oxynitride and the material that is converted includes erbium oxide.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the rare earth oxide layer is substantially impervious to nitride and remains REO and the material that is substantially impervious to nitride includes gadolinium oxide.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of forming one of the rare earth oxynitride or the rare earth nitride adjacent the upper surface of the template includes exposing the surface of the rare earth oxide layer to a nitrogen plasma.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the rare earth oxide includes erbium oxide and a layer of erbium oxynitride is formed in the rare earth oxide adjacent the surface.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the rare earth oxide layer includes gadolinium oxide positioned adjacent the substrate and the step includes epitaxially growing a layer of erbium oxide on the layer of gadolinium oxide, the step further includes forming a layer including one of erbium oxynitride and erbium nitride from at least a portion of the layer of erbium oxide.

8. A method of fabricating a layer of single crystal III-N material on a silicon substrate comprising:

providing a single crystal silicon substrate with a crystal lattice spacing;

epitaxially growing a rare earth oxide REO template on the silicon substrate, the template including a first rare earth oxide layer adjacent the substrate with a crystal lattice spacing substantially matching the crystal lattice spacing of the substrate, and the first rare earth oxide layer being substantially impervious to nitridation;

forming a second layer including one of a rare earth oxynitride or a rare earth nitride adjacent the upper surface of the template; and

epitaxially growing a layer of single crystal III-N material on the second layer.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the step of forming the second layer includes epitaxially growing a layer of rare earth oxide material on the first rare earth oxide layer and converting at least a portion of the rare earth oxide material to the one of the rare earth oxynitride or the rare earth nitride.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the step of epitaxially growing the first rare earth oxide layer includes growing gadolinium oxide.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the step of epitaxially growing the layer of rare earth oxide material on the first rare earth oxide layer includes growing erbium oxide and the step of converting includes converting the erbium oxide to one of erbium oxynitride or erbium nitride.

12. A single crystal III-N material on a silicon substrate comprising:

a single crystal silicon substrate with a crystal lattice spacing;

a rare earth oxide REO template grown on the silicon substrate, the template including a first rare earth oxide layer adjacent the substrate with a crystal lattice spacing substantially matching the crystal lattice spacing of the substrate, and at least a portion of a second rare earth oxide layer including one of a rare earth oxynitride or a rare earth nitride; and

a layer of single crystal III-N material epitaxially grown on the at least a portion of the second rare earth oxide layer, the template designed to prevent nitridation of the silicon substrate and to crystal lattice match the III-N material to the substrate so as to provide an epitaxial relationship between the III-N material and the substrate.

13. A single crystal III-N material on a silicon substrate as claimed in claim 12 wherein the rare earth oxide layer adjacent the substrate includes a material substantially impervious to nitridation.

14. A single crystal III-N material on a silicon substrate as claimed in claim 13 wherein the rare earth oxide layer adjacent the substrate includes gadolinium oxide.

15. A single crystal III-N material on a silicon substrate comprising:

a single crystal silicon substrate with a crystal lattice spacing;

a rare earth oxide REO template grown on the silicon substrate, the template including a first rare earth oxide layer adjacent the substrate with a crystal lattice spacing substantially matching the crystal lattice spacing of the substrate and substantially impervious to nitridation;

the template including a second rare earth oxide layer grown on the first rare earth oxide layer and at least a portion including one of a rare earth oxynitride or a rare earth nitride; and

a layer of single crystal III-N material epitaxially grown on the at least a portion of the second rare earth oxide layer, the template designed to prevent nitridation of the silicon substrate and to crystal lattice match the III-N material to the substrate so as to provide an epitaxial relationship between the III-N material and the substrate.

16. A single crystal III-N material on a silicon substrate as claimed in claim 15 wherein the first rare earth oxide layer adjacent the substrate includes gadolinium oxide.

17. A single crystal III-N material on a silicon substrate as claimed in claim 15 wherein the second rare earth oxide layer includes erbium oxide and the rare earth oxynitride or the rare earth nitride include erbium oxynitride or erbium nitride, respectively.