III-N semiconductor layer on Si substrate
A method of growing III-N semiconducting material on a silicon substrate including the steps of growing a layer of epitaxial rare earth oxide on a single crystal silicon substrate and modifying the surface of the layer of epitaxial rare earth oxide with nitrogen plasma. The method further includes the steps of growing a layer of low temperature epitaxial gallium nitride on the modified surface of the layer of epitaxial rare earth oxide and growing a layer of bulk epitaxial III-N semiconductive material on the layer of low temperature epitaxial gallium nitride.
1. III-N semiconducting material on a silicon substrate comprising:
a single crystal silicon substrate;
a first epitaxial layer of rare earth oxide positioned on the silicon substrate, the first layer of rare earth oxide being substantially lattice matched to the silicon substrate;
a second epitaxial layer of rare earth oxide positioned on the first epitaxial layer of rare earth oxide, the second epitaxial layer of rare earth oxide having a different lattice constant than the first epitaxial layer of rare earth oxide with a stress in the second epitaxial layer of rare earth oxide;
the second layer of epitaxial rare earth oxide being nitridized with nitrogen to form a nucleation layer; and
an epitaxial layer of III-N material positioned on the nucleation layer of epitaxial rare earth oxide.
2. The III-N semiconducting material on the silicon substrate as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first epitaxial layer of rare earth oxide includes single crystal gadolinium oxide (Gd 2 O 3 ) and the second epitaxial layer of rare earth oxide includes single crystal erbium oxide (Er 2 O 3 ).
3. III-N semiconducting material on a silicon substrate comprising:
a single crystal silicon substrate;
a single crystal layer of rare earth oxide positioned on the silicon substrate and having a surface;
the surface of the single crystal layer of rare earth oxide being terminated with nitrogen atoms forming a nitrogen atom template;
a single crystal layer of III-N material positioned on the nitrogen atom template; and
a single crystal epitaxial bulk semiconductor III-N layer positioned on the single crystal layer of III-N material.
4. The III-N semiconducting material on the silicon substrate as claimed in claim 3 wherein the single crystal epitaxial rare earth oxide layer includes a rare earth oxide with a cubic crystal structure.
5. The III-N semiconducting material on the silicon substrate as claimed in claim 3 wherein the single crystal epitaxial rare earth oxide with the cubic crystal structure includes single crystal erbium oxide (Er 2 O 3 ).