FORMATION OF NITRIDE-BASED OPTOELECTRONIC AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE STRUCTURES ON LATTICE-MATCHED SUBSTRATES
A method of forming an AlInGaN alloy-based electronic or optoelectronic device structure on a nitride substrate and subsequent removal of the substrate. An AlInGaN alloy-based electronic or optoelectronic device structure formed on a nitride substrate is freed from the substrate on which it was grown.
1 . A method of making an optoelectronic device structure, the method comprising:
epitaxially growing one or more layers of Al x In y Ga 1-x-y N, wherein 0≦x≦1 and 0≦y≦1, over a nitride substrate including a metal content of at least 60 weight percent Ga, wherein the nitride substrate is devoid of sapphire and silicon carbide, to form a semiconductor device complex; and
removing the nitride substrate from the semiconductor device complex to form the optoelectronic device structure;
wherein the Al x In y Ga 1-x-y N and the nitride substrate comprise different stoichiometry, and the optoelectronic device structure is devoid of the nitride substrate on which it was grown; and
the method comprises at least one of the following features: (a) said removing of the nitride substrate from the semiconductor device complex comprises grinding; or (b) the method comprises annealing the optoelectronic device structure after removal of the nitride substrate.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said removing of the nitride substrate from the semiconductor device complex comprises grinding.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises annealing the optoelectronic device structure after removal of the nitride substrate.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising chemically cleaning the optoelectronic device structure after removal of the nitride substrate.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising growing a graded composition layer over the nitride substrate, wherein the epitaxially growing of the one or more layers of Al x In y Ga 1-x-y N over the nitride substrate comprises growing the one or more layers of Al x In y Ga 1-x-y N over the graded composition layer.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the graded composition layer comprises a parting layer.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the Al x In y Ga 1-x-y N is selected from any of AlGaN, AlInN, InGaN, AlN and InN.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nitride substrate consists essentially of GaN.
9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching a substrate to the optoelectronic device structure, wherein the attached substrate differs from the nitride substrate on which the one or more layers of Al x In y Ga 1-x-y N were grown.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the attached substrate comprises any of silicon, diamond, sapphire, glass, copper or other metal, AlN and GaN.
11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising attaching a carrier to the optoelectronic device structure.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the carrier comprises any of silicon, diamond, sapphire, glass and copper.
13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising defining vias in the optoelectronic device structure.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said removing of the nitride substrate from the semiconductor device complex comprises etching the nitride substrate.
15 . An optoelectronic device structure formed by the method of claim 1 .
16 . The optoelectronic device structure of claim 15 , comprising a UV light emitting diode (LED) adapted to emit a peak wavelength of less than or equal to about 400 nm.
17 . The optoelectronic device structure of claim 15 , wherein the nitride substrate consists essentially of GaN.
18 . The optoelectronic device structure of claim 15 , further comprising a graded composition layer arranged between the nitride substrate and the one or more layers of Al x In y Ga 1-x-y N.
19 . The optoelectronic device structure of claim 15 , further comprising an attached substrate affixed to the optoelectronic device structure, wherein the attached substrate differs from the nitride substrate over which the one or more layers of Al x In y Ga 1-x-y N were grown.