IP Library Granted Patent US 11,946,874
Granted Patent B2
US 11,946,874 · App. 17/055,539 · Granted Apr 2, 2024

Method for producing nitride semiconductor laminate, silicon semiconductor product, method for inspecting film quality and method for inspecting semiconductor growth device

Inventor: Fumimasa Horikiri (Hitachi, JP)
Assignee: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
G01N21/9501G01N21/3563G01N21/359G01N21/59H01L21/0254H01L22/12H01L29/2003G01N2021/3568
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,946,874
App. No.
17/055,539
Granted
Apr 2, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided a method for producing a nitride semiconductor laminate in which a thin film is homoepitaxially grown on a substrate comprising group III nitride semiconductor crystals, the method including: homoepitaxially growing a thin film on a substrate, using the substrate in which a dislocation density on its main surface is 5×10 6 pieces/cm 2 or less, a concentration of oxygen therein is less than 1×10 17 at·cm −3 , and a concentration of impurities therein other than n-type impurity is less than 1×10 17 at ·cm −3 ; and inspecting a film quality of the thin film formed on the substrate, wherein in the inspection of the film quality, the film quality of the thin film is inspected by detecting a deviation of an amount of reflected light at a predetermined wavenumber determined in a range of 1,600 cm −1 or more and 1,700 cm −1 or less in a reflection spectrum obtained by irradiating the thin film on the substrate with infrared light, from an amount of reflected light at the predetermined wavenumber determined according to a film thickness of the thin film, a carrier concentration of the substrate, and a carrier concentration of the thin film.

Claims (23)

1. A method for inspecting a film quality for inspecting a film quality of a thin film in a nitride semiconductor laminate obtained by homoepitaxially growing a thin film on a substrate comprising crystals of a group III nitride semiconductor, which is a method for inspecting a film quality of a thin film by detecting a deviation of an amount of reflected light at a predetermined wavenumber determined in a range of 1,600 cm −1 or more and 1,700 cm −1 or less in a reflection spectrum obtained by irradiating the thin film on the substrate with infrared light,

from an amount of reflected light at the predetermined wavenumber determined according to a film thickness of the thin film, a carrier concentration of the substrate, and a carrier concentration of the thin film, using the substrate in which a dislocation density on its main surface is 5×10 6 pieces/cm 2 or less, a concentration of oxygen therein is less than 1×10 17 at ·cm −3 , and a concentration of impurities therein other than n-type impurity is less than 1×10 17 at ·cm −3 .

2. A nitride semiconductor laminate, comprising:

a substrate comprising group III nitride semiconductor crystals; and

a thin film homoepitaxially grown on the substrate,

wherein a dislocation density on a main surface of the substrate is 5×10 6 pieces/cm 2 or less, a concentration of oxygen in the substrate is less than 1×10 17 at ·cm −3 , and a concentration of impurities other than n-type impurity in the substrate is less than 1×10 17 at ·cm −3 , and

when taking into consideration of a deviation of an amount of reflected light at a predetermined wavenumber in a reflection spectrum obtained by irradiating the thin film on the substrate with infrared light, from an amount of reflected light at the predetermined wavenumber determined according to a film thickness of the thin film, a carrier concentration of the substrate, and a carrier concentration of the thin film, a maximum value of a degree of a deviation in a wavenumber range of 1,600 cm −1 or more and 1,700 cm −1 or less is larger than any of a maximum value of a degree of a deviation in a wavenumber range of 1,500 cm −1 or more and less than 1,600 cm −1 and a maximum value of a degree of a deviation in a wavenumber range of more than 1,700 cm −1 and 1,800 cm −1 or less.

3. The nitride semiconductor laminate according to claim 2 , wherein the maximum value of the degree of the deviation in the wavenumber range of 1,600 cm −1 or more and 1,700 cm −1 or less is 1% or more and 10% or less as a degree of a difference in intensity reflectance.

4. A nitride semiconductor laminate, comprising:

a substrate comprising group 111 nitride semiconductor crystals; and

a thin film homoepitaxially grown on the substrate,

wherein a dislocation density on a main surface of the substrate is 5×10 6 pieces/cm 2 or less, a concentration of oxygen in the substrate is less than 1×10 17 at ·cm −3 , and a concentration of impurities other than n-type impurity in the substrate is less than 1×10 17 at ·cm −3 , and

when taking into consideration of a deviation of an amount of reflected light at a predetermined wavenumber in a reflection spectrum obtained by irradiating the thin film on the substrate with infrared light, from an amount of reflected light at the predetermined wavenumber determined according to a film thickness of the thin film, a carrier concentration of the substrate, and a carrier concentration of the thin film, any of a maximum value of a degree of the deviation in a wavenumber range of 1,600 cm −1 or more and 1,700 cm −1 or less, a maximum value of a degree of a deviation in a wavenumber range of 1,500 cm −1 or more and less than 1,600 cm −1 and a maximum value of a degree of a deviation in a wavenumber range of more than 1,700 cm −1 and 1,800 cm −1 or less, is less than 1% as a degree of a difference in intensity reflectance.

5. The nitride semiconductor laminate according to claim 2 , wherein when the maximum value of the degree of the deviation in the wavenumber range of 1,600 cm −1 or more and 1,700 cm −1 or less is acquired at a plurality of positions on the main surface of the thin film, a maximum value is 1.5 times or less of a minimum value among the plurality of acquired maximum values.

6. The nitride semiconductor laminate according to claim 2 , wherein an absorption coefficient α in a wavelength range of at least 1 μm or more and 3.3 μm or less is approximated by equation (1) by a method of least squares, and

an error of the measured absorption coefficient at a wavelength of 2μ with respect to the absorption coefficient α obtained from the equation (1) is within ±0.1α,

where a wavelength is λ (μm), an absorption coefficient of the substrate at 27° C. is α (cm −1 ), a carrier concentration in the substrate is N e (cm −3 ), and K and a are constants.

7. The nitride semiconductor laminate according to claim 2 , wherein a crystal of the group III nitride semiconductor is a gallium nitride crystal.

8. The nitride semiconductor laminate according to claim 4 , wherein when the maximum value of the degree of the deviation in the wavenumber range of 1,600 cm −1 or more and 1,700 cm −1 or less is acquired at a plurality of positions on the main surface of the thin film, a maximum value is 1.5 times or less of a minimum value among the plurality of acquired maximum values.

9. The nitride semiconductor laminate according to claim 4 , wherein an absorption coefficient α in a wavelength range of at least 1 μm or more and 3.3 μm or less is approximated by equation (1) by a method of least squares, and

an error of the measured absorption coefficient at a wavelength of 2μ with respect to the absorption coefficient α obtained from the equation (1) is within ±0.1α,

where a wavelength is λ (μm), an absorption coefficient of the substrate at 27° C. is α (cm −1 ), a carrier concentration in the substrate is N e (cm −3 ), and K and a are constants.

10. The nitride semiconductor laminate according to claim 4 , wherein a crystal of the group III nitride semiconductor is a gallium nitride crystal.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Nov 17, 2022
From: SCIOCS COMPANY LIMITED
To: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
Reel/Frame 061961/0204 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 13, 2020
From: HORIKIRI, FUMIMASA
To: SCIOCS COMPANY LIMITED; SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
Reel/Frame 054367/0159 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-094151 · May 15, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210215621A1 · Jul 15, 2021