Gallium nitride crystal, gallium nitride substrate, and method for producing gallium nitride crystal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024191395-A1
Application number	US-202418585407-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 23, 2024
Priority date	Aug 25, 2021
Publication date	Jun 13, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A gallium nitride crystal, containing F in which a total content of halogen elements other than F is 1/100 or less of a content of F and including a main surface 1 having an inclination of 0 degrees or more and 10 degrees or less from a (000-1) crystal plane in which the main surface 1 is a specific main surface A satisfying a specific condition regarding facet growth region in which a first line segment which is a virtual line segment extending in a first direction on the specific main surface A and having a length of 40 mm and a second line segment which is a virtual line segment extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the specific main surface A and having a length of 40 mm can be drawn, has fewer specific crystal defects and is of high quality,

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A gallium nitride crystal which contains F and
in which a total content of halogen elements other than F is 1/100 or less of a content of F, the gallium nitride crystal comprising a main surface 1 having an inclination of 0 degrees or more and 10 degrees or less from a (000-1) crystal plane, wherein the main surface 1 is a specific main surface A satisfying at least one of the following conditions (A1) to (A3): (A1) a first line segment which is a virtual line segment extending in a first direction on the specific main surface A and having a length of 40 mm and a second line segment which is a virtual line segment extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the specific main surface A and having a length of 40 mm can be drawn, and a facet growth region density in a random square region of 10 mm×10 mm on the specific main surface A does not exceed 500 cm −2 ; (A2) a first line segment which is a virtual line segment extending in a first direction on the specific main surface A and having a length of 40 mm and a second line segment which is a virtual line segment extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the specific main surface A and having a length of 40 mm can be drawn, and at least one square region of 20 mm×20 mm having a facet growth region density of less than 5 cm −2 is found in the specific main surface A; and (A3) a first line segment which is a virtual line segment extending in a first direction on the specific main surface A and having a length of 40 mm and a second line segment which is a virtual line segment extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the specific main surface A and having a length of 40 mm can be drawn, and a ratio of a total area of facet growth regions to an area of the specific main surface A (total area of facet growth regions/area of specific main surface A) is 40% or less.

2 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 1 , further comprising: a main surface 2 having an inclination of 0 degrees or more and 10 degrees or less from a (0001) crystal plane which is a main surface on an opposite side.

3 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 1 , wherein fluorine is contained at a concentration of 1×10 15 atoms/cm 3 or more and 1×10 18 atoms/cm 3 or less.

4 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 1 , wherein the main surface 1 includes a specific main surface A that simultaneously satisfies the condition (A1) and the condition (A2) or the condition (A3), or the main surface 1 includes a specific main surface A that simultaneously satisfies the condition (A1), the condition (A2), and the condition (A3).

5 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 1 , wherein the main surface 1 includes a specific main surface A that simultaneously satisfies the condition (A2) and the condition (A3).

6 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 1 , wherein the main surface 1 is a specific main surface A further satisfying the following condition (B1):
(B1) a maximum value of FWHM of an XRC among all measurement points is less than 40 arcsec when an XRC of 002 reflection is measured at an interval of 5 mm on the first line segment with an X-ray incident surface during each ω-scan parallel to the first line segment.

7 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 1 , wherein the main surface 1 is a specific main surface A further satisfying the following condition (B2):
(B2) a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of a peak angle of an XRC among all measurement points is less than 0.2° when an XRC of 002 reflection is measured at an interval of 5 mm on the first line segment with an X-ray incident surface during each ω-scan parallel to the first line segment.

8 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 1 , wherein a dislocation density is less than 1×10 6 cm −2 .

9 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 1 , wherein a hydrogen concentration is 2×10 19 atoms/cm 3 or less.

10 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 1 , wherein an oxygen concentration is 2×10 19 atoms/cm 3 or less.

11 . A gallium nitride crystal comprising: a main surface 1 having an inclination of 0 degrees or more and 10 degrees or less from a (000-1) crystal plane; and a main surface 2 having an inclination of 0 degrees or more and 10 degrees or less from a (0001) crystal plane which is a main surface on an opposite side,
wherein a thickness in a c-axis direction is 1 mm or more, and
an area ratio between a main area 1 and a main area 2 (main area 1 /main area 2 ) is 0.5 or more and 1 or less, or
an area ratio between a (10-1-1) plane and a (10-1-2) plane satisfies the following relational expression (C):
area of(10-1-2)plane/{area of(10-1-1)plane+area of(10-1-2)plane}<0.5  (C).

12 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 11 , wherein an area ratio between a main area 1 and a main area 2 (main area 1 /main area 2 ) is 0.5 or more and 1 or less.

13 . The gallium nitride crystal according to claim 11 , wherein an area ratio between a (10-1-1) plane and a (10-1-2) plane satisfies the following relational expression (C):
area of(10-1-2)plane/{area of(10-1-1)plane+area of(10-1-2)plane}<0.5  (C).

14 . A gallium nitride substrate obtained by slicing the gallium nitride crystal according to claim 1 .

15 . A gallium nitride substrate obtained by slicing the gallium nitride crystal according to claim 12 .

16 . A gallium nitride substrate obtained by slicing the gallium nitride crystal according to claim 13 .

17 . A method for producing a gallium nitride crystal comprising: a seed preparation step of preparing a GaN seed which is obtained by a liquid phase growth method and has a nitrogen polar surface; and a crystal growth step of growing a GaN crystal on the nitrogen polar surface of the GaN seed by an ammonothermal method by setting a pressure in a reaction vessel containing a mineralizer containing fluorine to 200 MPa or less and a temperature of a crystal growth region to 600° C. or higher.

18 . The method for producing a gallium nitride crystal according to claim 17 , wherein an area of the nitrogen polar surface of the GaN seed is 30 cm 2 or more.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Chem Corp
• Japan Steel Works Ltd

Inventors

• Mikawa Yutaka
• KURIMOTO Kouhei
• Bao Quanxi

Classifications

• C30B7/105 Primary

  using ammonia as solvent, i.e. ammonothermal processes · CPC title

• C30B29/406 Primary

  Gallium nitride · CPC title