Method for the reuse of gallium nitride epitaxial substrates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016307801-A1
Application number	US-201615189356-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 22, 2016
Priority date	Feb 17, 2012
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for the reuse of gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial substrates uses band-gap-selective photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching to remove one or more epitaxial layers from bulk or free-standing GaN substrates without damaging the substrate, allowing the substrate to be reused for further growth of additional epitaxial layers. The method facilitates a significant cost reduction in device production by permitting the reuse of expensive bulk or free-standing GaN substrates.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for reusing a III-nitride substrate, comprising:
providing an epitaxy-ready bulk III-nitride substrate; growing one or more sacrificial layers on or above the substrate; growing one or more device layers on or above the sacrificial layers; and selectively etching the sacrificial layers to separate the device layers from the substrate without substantially etching the device layers or the substrate.

2 . A structure, comprising:
an epitaxy-ready bulk III-nitride substrate; one or more sacrificial layers on or above the substrate; and one or more device layers on or above the sacrificial layers; wherein the sacrificial layers are selectively etched layers used to separate the device layers from the substrate without the device layers or the substrate being substantially etched.

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Holder Casey O
• Feezell Daniel F
• Denbaars Steven P
• Nakamura Shuji

Classifications

• H10P14/36

  characterised by treatments done before the formation of the materials · CPC title

• H10P50/646

  of Group III-V materials · CPC title

• H10P50/617

  of Group III-V materials · CPC title

• H10P14/3416

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P14/3216

  Nitrides · CPC title