Large area, low-defect gallium-containing nitride crystals, method of making, and method of use

1. A method for forming an ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal derived from a proto-seed comprising a gallium-containing nitride crystal with a length and a first thickness substantially orthogonal to a first direction of the length and a second thickness orthogonal to the first direction of the length, the ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal being characterized by a dislocation density below about 10 5 cm −2 and a stacking fault concentration below about 10 2 cm −1 the method comprising:

subjecting the proto-seed to an ammonothermal growth of a gallium based crystalline material to cause the proto-seed to grow in a second direction lateral to the first direction of the length to form a laterally-grown sector comprising at least one of an a-wing, a +c sector, a −c sector, an m-m′ sector, and an m′-m′ sector;

wherein if the laterally-grown sector comprises an a-wing,

separating the a-wing from a portion of the ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal comprising the proto-seed by slicing substantially parallel to an a-plane, and

removing residual defective material from the a-wing by removing material from a −c-surface positioned opposite to a +c-surface of the a-wing or from a +c-surface positioned opposite to a −c-surface of the a-wing to form said ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal;

wherein if the laterally-grown sector comprises at least one of a +c sector or a −c sector,

separating the ±c sector from a portion of the ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal comprising the proto-seed by slicing substantially parallel to a c-plane;

removing residual defective material from the ±c sector by removing material substantially parallel to a c axis or by removing material substantially parallel to an m-plane to form said ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal; and

wherein if the laterally-grown sector comprises at least one of an m-m′ sector and an m′-m′ sector,

separating an m/a wing from a portion of the ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal comprising the proto-seed by slicing substantially parallel to an a-plane; and

removing residual defective material from the m/a wing by removing material along a plane that is substantially perpendicular to an m-plane to form said ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing comprises at least one of sawing, laser-cutting, slicing, cleaving, lapping, polishing, grinding, or chemical-mechanical polishing.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the laterally-grown sector comprises at least one of a +c sector or a −c sector, further comprising removing at least one of a {10-1-1} region and a {10-11} region from the ±c sector.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said length is at least 5 mm and each of the first thickness and the second thickness being at least 0.1 mm.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal has a maximum dimension greater than about 5 millimeters and a minimum dimension greater than about 0.1 millimeter.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal having at least one surface characterized by a dislocation density below about 10 4 cm −2 and a stacking fault concentration below about 10 cm −1 , and wherein said residual defective material contains a higher concentration of threading dislocations and/or stacking faults than the ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal has a dislocation density below about 10 3 cm −2 and a stacking fault concentration below about 1 cm −1 .

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal has impurity concentrations of oxygen (O), hydrogen (H), and at least one of fluorine (F) and chlorine (Cl) between about 1×10 16 cm −3 and 1×10 19 cm −3 , between about 1×10 16 cm −3 and 2×10 19 cm −3 , and between about 1×10 15 cm −3 and 1×10 17 cm −3 , respectively.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming at least one ultralow-defect wafer from the ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal, the ultralow-defect wafer being characterized by a dislocation density below about 10 5 cm −2 and a stacking fault concentration below about 10 2 cm −1 .

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

bonding at least two ultralow-defect wafers to a handle substrate, wherein a polar misorientation angle γ between a first ultralow-defect wafer and second ultralow-defect wafer is less than 0.5 degree and azimuthal misorientation angles α and β are less than 1 degree; and

growing the at least two ultralow-defect wafers to cause a coalescence into a merged crystal.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: subjecting the proto-seed to an ammonothermal growth of a gallium based crystalline material to cause the proto-seed to grow in a second direction lateral to the first direction of the length by a distance of at least 5 mm to form a laterally-grown wing or sector.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

using the ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal, or a wafer or portion prepared therefrom, as a seed crystal for further bulk crystal growth;

forming an enlarged, ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal; and

forming at least one ultralow-defect wafer from the enlarged, ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the enlarged, ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal is formed by ammonothermal crystal growth.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the enlarged, ultralow-defect gallium-containing nitride crystal is formed by hydride vapor phase epitaxy.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

incorporating the ultralow-defect wafer into a semiconductor structure, wherein the semiconductor structure comprises at least one Al x In y Ga (1-x-y) N epitaxial layer, where 0≤x, y, x+y≤1, and forms a portion of a gallium-nitride-based electronic device or optoelectronic device.