Hetero-integration of III-N material on silicon
View Patent ↗A hetero-integrated device includes a monocrystalline Si substrate and a trench formed in the substrate to expose a crystal surface at a bottom of the trench. Sidewall dielectric spacers are formed on sidewalls of the trench, and a III-V material layer is formed on the crystal surface at the bottom of the trench and is isolated from the sidewalls of the trench by the sidewall dielectric spacers.
1. A method for forming a hetero-integrated device, comprising:
opening up a dielectric layer formed on a monocrystalline Si substrate;
etching a trench in the monocrystalline Si substrate through the opening to expose a continuous crystal surface at a bottom of the trench;
depositing sidewall dielectric spacers on sidewalls of the trench;
forming remnants of a protection layer on the continuous crystal surface; and
growing at least one III-V material layer from the continuous crystal surface at the bottom of the trench, the at least one III-V material layer being isolated from the sidewalls of the trench by the sidewall dielectric spacers.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein forming the remnants of the protection layer further comprises:
depositing the protection layer on the continuous crystal surface; and
removing the protection layer from the continuous crystal surface at the bottom of the trench such that reactants from the protection layer protect the continuous crystal surface.
3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the at least one III-V material layer includes GaN and the protection layer is formed from AlN.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the sidewall dielectric spacers include a nitride or oxide material and are formed to have a thickness of between about 30 nm and 100 nm.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein etching the trench includes exposing a (111) crystal surface at the bottom of the trench.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein etching the trench in the substrate includes etching the trench in a silicon layer of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein growing the at least one III-V material layer includes forming at least one of a transistor, a diode or a laser.