Nucleation structure suitable for epitaxial growth of three-dimensional semiconductor elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10801129-B2
Application number	US-201716313774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2017
Priority date	Jun 28, 2016
Publication date	Oct 13, 2020
Grant date	Oct 13, 2020

Abstract

A nucleation structure for the epitaxial growth of three-dimensional semiconductor elements, including a substrate including a monocrystalline material forming a growth surface, a plurality of intermediate portions made of an intermediate crystalline material epitaxied from the growth surface and defining an upper intermediate surface, and a plurality of nucleation portions, made of a material including a transition metal forming a nucleation crystalline material, each epitaxied from the upper intermediate surface, and defining a nucleation surface suitable for the epitaxial growth of a three-dimensional semiconductor element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A nucleation structure configured for the epitaxial growth of three-dimensional semiconductor elements, comprising:
a substrate including a monocrystalline material forming a growth surface on which lies a plurality of nucleation portions made of a material comprising a transition metal, and a plurality of intermediate portions, each intermediate portion being made of an intermediate crystalline material epitaxied from the growth surface, thus having an alignment of the crystallographic orientations of its crystal lattice with those of the crystal lattice of the crystalline material of the substrate in at least one direction in the plane of the intermediate crystalline material and at least one direction orthogonal to the plane of the material, and defining an upper intermediate surface, on the opposite side to the growth surface,
wherein each nucleation portion is made of a material including a transition metal forming a nucleation crystalline material, epitaxied from the upper intermediate surface, thus having an alignment of the crystallographic orientations of its crystal lattice with those of the crystal lattice of the intermediate material in at least one direction in the plane of the nucleation crystalline material and at least one direction orthogonal to the plane of the material, and defining a nucleation surface, on the opposite side to the upper intermediate surface and configured for the epitaxial growth of a three-dimensional semiconductor element.

2. The nucleation structure according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate portions form blocks being separate from one another, and the nucleation portions are at least partly bordered by and in contact with injection portions, made of a material including a transition metal, which lie in contact on the growth surface, the injection portions then being textured from the growth surface, thus having a single favoured crystallographic orientation in a direction orthogonal to the plane of their material.

3. The nucleation structure according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate material is selected from aluminium nitride, III-V compounds and oxides of aluminium, titanium, hafnium, magnesium and zirconium, and has a hexagonal, face-centred cubic or orthorhombic crystal structure.

4. The nucleation structure according to claim 1 , wherein the nucleation material is selected from titanium, vanadium, chromium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, hafnium, tantalum and tungsten, or from a nitride or a carbide of titanium, vanadium, chromium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, hafnium, tantalum and tungsten, and has a hexagonal or face-centred cubic crystal structure.

5. The nucleation structure according to claim 1 , wherein the monocrystalline material of the substrate is selected from a III-V compound, a II-VI compound or a IV element or compound and has a hexagonal or face-centred cubic crystal structure.

6. The nucleation structure according to claim 5 , wherein the material of the substrate is electrically conductive.

7. The nucleation structure according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one lower injection portion made of a material including a transition metal, positioned in contact with the growth surface and covered by an injection portion formed in one piece with and from same material as the nucleation portion, the at least one lower injection portion being textured from the growth surface, and having a single favoured crystallographic orientation in a direction orthogonal to the plane of its material.

8. The nucleation structure according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one upper injection portion made of a material including a transition metal, positioned in contact with the nucleation portion and partly covering the nucleation surface.

9. The nucleation structure according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one lower injection portion made of a material including a transition metal, positioned in contact with the growth surface and covered by a portion formed with the nucleation portion.

10. An optoelectronic device, comprising:
the nucleation structure according to claim 1 ; and
a plurality of three-dimensional semiconductor elements each epitaxied from a respective nucleation surface, the three-dimensional semiconductor elements having an alignment of the crystallographic orientations of their crystal lattice with those of the crystal lattice of the nucleation material, in at least one direction in the plane of the material of the three-dimensional elements and at least one direction orthogonal to the plane of the material.

11. The optoelectronic device according to claim 10 , wherein each three-dimensional semiconductor element is produced from a semiconductor material selected from a III-V compound, a II-VI compound, a IV element or compound.

12. The optoelectronic device according to claim 10 , wherein the semiconductor material of each three-dimensional semiconductor element predominantly includes a III-V compound formed from a first element from group III and from a second element from group V, the three-dimensional semiconductor elements having a polarity of the first element.

13. A process for producing the nucleation structure according to claim 1 , comprising:
epitaxial growing of the nucleation portions by sputtering at a growth temperature between ambient temperature and 500° C.

14. The process for producing the nucleation structure according to claim 13 , further comprising:
forming at least one upper injection portion positioned in contact with the nucleation portions and partly covering the nucleation surface;
epitaxial growing of a layer made of a second material including a transition metal covering the nucleation surface;
depositing a layer of a dielectric material covering the layer made of the second material;
localized and selective dry etching the dielectric material with respect to the second material, so as to form a first opening located facing the nucleation surface and opening onto the second material; and
localized and selective wet etching the second material with respect to the nucleation material, through the first opening, so as to form an opening that opens onto the nucleation surface.

15. The process for producing the nucleation structure according to claim 13 , further comprising:
crystallization annealing of the nucleation portions at a temperature between 600° C. and 1200° C.

16. A process for producing the optoelectronic device according to claim 10 , comprising:
producing the nucleation structure; and
growing a plurality of three-dimensional semiconductor elements each epitaxied from a nucleation surface, so that the nucleation portions, between the producing and the growing, have not been subjected to a nitridation annealing.

17. The production process according to claim 16 , wherein between the producing and the growing, the nucleation surfaces are not subjected, at the same time, to an annealing temperature greater than or equal to 800° C. and to a flow of ammonia.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique
• Aledia

Inventors

• Amstatt Benoit
• Dupont Florian
• Henaff Ewen
• Hyot Berangere

Classifications

• H10P14/271

  characterised by the preparation of substrate for selective deposition · CPC title

• H10P14/3462

  Nanowires · CPC title

• H10P14/3416

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P14/3248 Primary

  consisting of two layers · CPC title

• H10P14/3241

  being conductive materials · CPC title