(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2006/0037529 A1 D'evelyn Et Al
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US 20060037529A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2006/0037529 A1 D'Evelyn et al. (43) Pub. Date: Feb. 23, 2006 (54) SINGLE CRYSTAL AND QUASI-SINGLE Publication Classification CRYSTAL COMPOSITION, APPARATUS, AND ASSOCATED METHOD (51) Int. Cl. (75) Inventors: Mark Philip D’Evelyn, Niskayuna, NY C30B I5/00 (2006.01) (US); Dong-Sil Park, Niskayuna, NY C30B 30/04 (2006.01) (US); Victor Lienkong Lou, C30B 28/10 (2006.01) Niskayuna, NY (US); Thomas Francis C30B 27/02 (2006.01) McNulty, Ballston Lake, NY (US) C30B 21/06 (2006.01) (52) U.S. Cl. .................................. 117/36; 117/13; 117/19 Correspondence Address: Shawn A. McClintic General Electric Global Research One Research Circle (57) ABSTRACT Docket Room K1-4A59 Niskayuna, NY 12309 (US) A Single crystal or quasi-single crystal including one or more (73) Assignee: General Electric Company, Group III material and an impurity. The impurity includes Schenectady, NY (US) one or more elements from Group IA, Group IIA, Groups IIIB to VIIB, Group VIII, Group IB, Group IIB, or Group (21) Appl. No.: 11/249,872 VIIA elements of the periodic table of elements. A compo (22) Filed: Oct. 13, 2005 Sition for forming a crystal is also provided. The composi tion includes a Source material comprising a Group III Related U.S. Application Data element, and a flux comprising one or more of P, Rb, Cs, Mg, Ca, Sr., Ba, Sc., Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, (63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 10/063,164, Mo, Pd, Ag, Hf, Ta, W, Pt, Au, Hg, Ge, or Sb, or the flux may filed on Mar. 27, 2002. comprise a rare earth metal. 100 f24 f2. wk. 48 %we ske xx. 9s eg owe we w aw Patent Application Publication Feb. 23, 2006 Sheet 1 of 4 US 2006/0037529 A1 100 124 12 120 102 26 f22 Fig. 1 Patent Application Publication Feb. 23, 2006 Sheet 2 of 4 US 2006/0037529 A1 200 Ya Patent Application Publication Feb. 23, 2006 Sheet 3 of 4 US 2006/0037529 A1 -414 Fig. 3 US 2006/0037529 A1 Feb. 23, 2006 SINGLE CRYSTAL AND QUASI-SINGLE 0008. It may be desirable to grow Group III metal nitride CRYSTAL COMPOSITION, APPARATUS, AND crystals that are Sufficiently large to Serve as commercially ASSOCATED METHOD viable substrates for electronic devices. It may be desirable to grow Group III metal nitride crystals that are of high CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED quality and have low concentrations of impurities and dis APPLICATIONS locations. It may be desirable to grow Group III metal nitride 0001. This application is a continuation-in-part of appli crystals at a high growth rate. cation Ser. No. 10/063,164, filed Mar. 27, 2002, and claims benefit therefrom, the contents of which are incorporated by BRIEF DESCRIPTION reference in their entirety. 0009. In one embodiment, a single crystal or quasi-single crystal may be provided. The Single crystal or quasi-single BACKGROUND crystal may include one or more Group III material and an impurity, wherein the impurity comprises one or more 0002) 1. Technical Field element Selected from the group consisting of Group IA, 0003. The invention includes embodiments that may Group IIA, Groups IIIB to VIIB, Group VIII, Group IB, relate to a Single crystal and quasi-single crystal. The Group IIB, and Group VIIA, of the periodic table of ele invention includes embodiments that may relate to a com mentS. position for forming Single crystal and quasi-single crystal. 0010. In one embodiment, a composition may be pro The invention includes embodiments that may relate to an Vided for forming a crystal. The composition may include a apparatus for forming Single crystal and quasi-single crystal. Source material including a Group III element, and a flux The invention includes embodiments that may relate to a material that may include one or more of P, Rb, Cs, Mg, Ca, method for forming Single crystal and quasi-single crystal. Sr, Ba, Sc., Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, 0004 2. Discussion of Related Art Pd, Ag, Hf, Ta, W, Pt, Au, Hg, Ge, or Sb. 0005 Quasi-single crystal nitrides may be grown by 0011 A Single crystal or quasi-single crystal may be Vapor-phase methods, which may employ non-nitride Sub provided, which may include a Salt and an impurity. The Salt Strates as Seeds or Substrates to produce quasi-single crys may include one or more of gallium nitride, indium nitride, tals. Vapor-phase methods may include hydride or halide aluminum nitride, gallium indium nitride, gallium aluminum vapor phase epitaxy, HVPE, and sublimation growth. Con nitride, indium aluminum nitride, or aluminum indium gal trol of Spontaneous nucleation may be problematic using a lium nitride. The impurity may include one or more element non-epitaxial Substrate, which may prevent the growth of Selected from the group consisting of Group IA, Group IIA, desirable Single crystals. Crystal growth may occur in Super Groups IIIB to VIIB, Group VIII, Group IB, Group IIB, and critical fluid. However, the growth rate achievable using Group VIIA, of the periodic table of elements. conventional autoclaves at mild conditions (temperature less 0012. A semiconductor structure may be provided that than about 550 degrees Celsius, and pressure less than about includes the Single crystal or quasi-single crystal including 6 kbar) may be undesirably low, and the use of more extreme a Salt and an impurity. The Salt may include one or more of conditions may require Specialized equipment. gallium nitride, indium nitride, aluminum nitride, gallium 0006 Some methods have been disclosed for nitride indium nitride, gallium aluminum nitride, indium aluminum growth from a flux. A flux is a Solvent that is a Solid at room nitride, or aluminum indium gallium nitride. The impurity temperature. A flux for gallium nitride growth may be may include one or more element Selected from the group molten gallium. However, the vapor pressure of nitrogen gas consisting of Group IA, Group IIA, Groups IIIB to VIIB, in contact with the molten gallium may be undesirably high Group VIII, Group IB, Group IIB, and Group VIIA, of the at temperatures Sufficiently high for viable crystal growth periodic table of elements. rates. Such conditions, again, may necessitate the use of Specialized equipment. In addition, the growth rates may be BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS undesirably low due to the low solubility and the low 0013 FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a cross diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in molten gallium metal. Section of a reaction vessel according to an embodiment as Small growth rates of gallium nitride in liquid Na/Ga alloys disposed in a pressure cell; have also been achieved at moderate pressures (about 50 bar). The solubility of nitrogen in liquid Na/Ga alloys is 0014 FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a cross relatively low. The relatively low solubility may limit crystal Section of a reaction vessel according to an embodiment as grow rate and/or maximum crystal size. disposed in an autoclave; 0007 Static configurations used for crystal growth, 0015 FIG. 3 is a schematic of a growth furnace accord where there is no motion between the hot Zone and the ing to one embodiment of the invention; and growing crystal, may limit crystal grow rate and/or maxi mum crystal size. A dynamic configuration may include a 0016 FIG. 4 is a schematic of a growth furnace accord crystal pulling apparatus, Such as a Bridgman apparatus or ing to another embodiment of the invention. an apparatus Set up for the Czochralski technique. However, the solubility of nitrogen in the flux is relatively low. The DETAILED DESCRIPTION dynamic proceSS may be difficult to control because the flux 0017. The invention includes embodiments that may may become SuperSaturated with respect to gallium nitride relate to Single crystal and quasi-single crystal. The inven formation, and because of Spontaneous nucleation of gal tion includes embodiments that may relate to a composition lium nitride crystals remote from the Seed crystal. for forming Single crystal and quasi-Single crystal. The US 2006/0037529 A1 Feb. 23, 2006 invention includes embodiments that may relate to an appa metal, metal halide, or metal nitride. For AlGainN alloys, ratus for forming Single crystal and quasi-single crystal. The the Source material may include, for example, combinations, invention includes embodiments that may relate to a method compounds, or alloys of the gallium, aluminum, or indium for forming Single crystal and quasi-Single crystal. Source materials. In one embodiment, the Source material 0.018 Approximating language, as used herein through may have an oxygen content in a range of less than about out the Specification and claims, may be applied to modify 1000 ppm. In one embodiment, the source material may any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary have an oxygen content in a range of less than about 100 without resulting in a change in the basic function to which ppm. In one embodiment, the Source material may have an it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term Such as oxygen content in a range of less than about 50 ppm. In one “about” is not to be limited to the precise value specified, embodiment, the Source material may have an oxygen and may include values that differ from the specified value. content in a range of less than about 10 ppm. In one In at least Some instances, the approximating language may embodiment, the Source material may be free of oxygen.