Background technology
The broad-band gap III-V group iii v compound semiconductor material that with GaN is representative is receiving increasing concern, they will be at blue, green light LED (LEDs) and laser diode (LDs), high density information read-write, subsurface communication, deep quest, laser printing, biology and engineering in medicine, and ultrahigh speed microelectronic component and hyperfrequency microwave device aspect are with a wide range of applications.
Because GaN fusing point height, hardness is big, saturated vapor pressure is high, so want the GaN body monocrystalline of growing large-size to need high temperature and high pressure, Polish high pressure research center has made just under the high pressure of 1600 ℃ high temperature and 20kbar that bar is wide to be the GaN body monocrystalline of 5mm.Current, the technology of GaN body monocrystalline of growing large-size more immature, and growth is with high costs, from practical application quite long distance is arranged still.
White gem crystal (α-Al
2O
3), be easy to preparation, low price, and have the good characteristics such as high-temperature stability, α-Al
2O
3It is at present the most frequently used InN-GaN base epitaxial substrate material (referring to Jpn.J.Appl.Phys., the 36th volume,, the 1568th page in 1997).
Lithium aluminate (γ-LiAlO
2) be the InN-GaN base epitaxial substrate material that just came into one's own in recent years, because the lattice mismatch of itself and GaN epitaxial film is quite little, have only 1.4%, this makes it be expected to become a kind of quite desirable GaN epitaxial substrate material (referring to U.S. Pat P6218280, Kryliouk Olga, Anderson Tim, Chai Bruce, " Method and apparatus forproducing group-III nitrides ").
Above-mentioned formerly technology substrate (α-Al
2O
3Or γ-LiAlO
2) the remarkable shortcoming that exists is: (1) is with α-Al
2O
3Make substrate, α-Al
2O
3And the lattice mismatch between the GaN makes the GaN film of preparation have higher dislocation density and a large amount of point defects up to 13.8%; (2) because LiAlO
2The non-stoichiometric volatilization easily takes place under the melt high temperature, and crystal growth difficulty is difficult to obtain large scale, high-quality LiAlO
2Monocrystal, and the process of substrate has caused a large amount of raw-material wastes.
Summary of the invention
The objective of the invention is: utilize Li
2O and α-Al
2O
3Solid phase reaction preparation have LiAlO
2Tectal α-Al
2O
3Flexible substrate γ-LiAlO
2/ α-Al
2O
3, be used for the high-quality GaN of epitaxial growth.
The epitaxial growth of GaN is mainly at α-Al at present
2O
3Carry out on the foreign substrate.Yet α-Al
2O
3And have bigger lattice mismatch and thermal mismatching between the GaN, cause producing in the GaN epitaxial film higher dislocation density and a large amount of point defects.In order to reduce the dislocation density in the GaN epitaxial film, a kind of so-called flexible substrate technology is arisen at the historic moment.Flexible substrate is to propose according to distribution and the equilibrium relation of elastic strain energy between " substrate " and epitaxial loayer.Concerning the infinite thickness substrate, carry out heteroepitaxy under mismatch condition, there is a critical value in the thickness of epitaxial loayer, when the thickness of epitaxial loayer during less than critical value, lattice mismatch in the system is mainly by the epitaxial loayer elastic strain, and storage elasticity can compensate in epitaxial loayer.When epitaxy layer thickness during greater than critical value, the lattice mismatch in the system then can cause the generation of epitaxial loayer Dislocations.If the thickness of substrate is limited, then the critical thickness of epitaxial loayer can increase.So-called " flexible substrate " be very little " substrate " of thickness just, and this thickness is more little, and the critical thickness of epitaxial loayer is big more.If substrate is very thin, then owing to the effect of " image force ", even dislocation has taken place in the system, dislocation also mainly is distributed in " substrate ".Recently, the LiAlO of Tetragonal
2(be γ-LiAlO
2) obtained widely research, γ-LiAlO as the epitaxial substrate of GaN
2With the lattice mismatch of GaN epitaxial film littler (1.4%), well below α-Al
2O
3With the lattice mismatch (13.8%) of GaN epitaxial film, this so that it be expected to become and be better than α-Al
2O
3The GaN epitaxial substrate.Based on above consideration, in key of the present invention be: utilize pulsed laser deposition (PLD:pulsed laser deposition) technology and Li
2O and α-Al
2O
3Between solid phase reaction, at α-Al
2O
3Generate γ-LiAlO on the substrate
2Cover layer, the recycling deionized water dissolving washes unreacted Li
2O, thus γ-LiAlO obtained
2/ α-Al
2O
3Flexible substrate.Here, α-Al
2O
3Both participate in solid phase reaction as reactant, worked again the γ-LiAlO that supports on it
2The effect of thin layer.Flexible substrate (γ-the LiAlO of this kind structure
2/ α-Al
2O
3) be suitable for the epitaxial growth of high-quality GaN.
The present invention mainly comprises two steps: at first be α-Al
2O
3Li on the substrate
2The O thin film technology is α-Al then
2O
3γ-LiAlO on the substrate
2Tectal preparation.
Fig. 1 is the schematic diagram of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system.The mechanism of PLD method be at first with KrF excimer laser (excitation wavelength the is 248nm) scioptics of pulsewidth 25-30ns (nanosecond) with about 10J/cm
2Energy density optically focused, the Li in optical window shines device
2The O target, behind the target absorbing laser, owing to Electron Excitation becomes high temperature fused state, material surface tens nanometer (nm) is evaporated, gasiform particulate is released and is diffused with column, from the opposed suitable heated α-Al of the surperficial number centimeters of target
2O
3Adhere on the substrate, thereby the accumulation deposit becomes Li
2The O film.
Pulsed laser deposition of the present invention (PLD) technology prepares flexible substrate material γ-LiAlO
2/ α-Al
2O
3The concrete technology flow process as follows:
Earlier with the α-Al that cleans
2O
3Substrate is sent into pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system, at a-Al
2O
3Prepare Li on the substrate
2The O film, the high-purity Li more than 99.999% is adopted in the Li source
2The O target.System adopts the KrF excimer laser of pulsewidth 25-30ns (nanosecond), and excitation wavelength is 248nm, and scioptics are with about 10J/cm
2Energy density optically focused, the Li in optical window shines device
2The O target, deposit Li under the ambiance of rich lithium
2The O film.Then with the Li that obtains in the upper step
2O/ α-Al
2O
3Sample is put into annealing furnace, and annealing about 1100 ℃ is in order to suppress Li
2The reaction atmosphere of rich lithium, Li are still adopted in the volatilization of O
2O and α-Al
2O
3Obtained γ-LiAlO in the lower solid phase reaction that takes place of high temperature (about 1100 ℃)
2Cover layer obtains having the γ-LiAlO of different-thickness by the control annealing time
2Cover layer, the recycling deionized water dissolving washes unreacted Li
2O, thus γ-LiAlO obtained
2/ α-Al
2O
3Flexible substrate.The flexible substrate of this kind structure is suitable for epitaxial growth of high quality GaN.
Technical characterstic of the present invention is:
1, adopt pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technology to prepare Li
2The O film.Li
2The fusing point height of O (greater than 1700 ℃), pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technology can be evaporated materials with high melting point.Because the energy height of laser beam is concentrated, power density is enough big, and the speed of heat temperature raising is fast, can in the extremely short time, the state of aggregation of target material be changed rapidly, thereby obtain very high evaporation rate, the growth rate of film is very fast, and thickness also is easy to accurate control.Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technology adopts contactless heating, is difficult for introducing impurity in preparation process.In addition, the ambiance flexibility and changeability of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system, initialization system is or vacuum or inert atmosphere or active atmosphere as required, this has just in time satisfied the requirement that needs in this patent adopt the ambiance of rich lithium.
2, preparing Li with pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technology
2During the O film, in order to suppress Li
2The volatilization of O, the pulsed laser deposition system adopts the ambiance of rich lithium; At follow-up Li
2O and α-Al
2O
3Between high-temperature annealing process solid phase reaction process in, in order to suppress Li
2The reaction atmosphere of rich lithium is still adopted in the volatilization of O.
3, at γ-LiAlO
2/ α-Al
2O
3In the structure of flexible substrate, α-Al
2O
3Both participate in solid phase reaction as reactant, worked again the γ-LiAlO that supports on it
2The effect of thin layer.The flexible substrate of this kind structure is suitable for epitaxial growth of high quality GaN.