Manufacturing method of group 13 nitride crystal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9404196-B2
Application number	US-201213592555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2012
Priority date	Sep 14, 2011
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a group 13 nitride crystal includes a crystal growth process to form the group 13 nitride crystal by growing the group 13 nitride crystal having a hexagonal crystal structure from a seed crystal which is a gallium nitride crystal having a hexagonal crystal structure in which a length “L” in a c-axis direction is 9.7 mm or more, and a ratio L/d of the length “L” to a crystal diameter “d” in a c-plane is larger than 0.813. The crystal growth process includes a process of forming an outer periphery containing a {10-10} plane and an outer periphery containing a {10-11} plane at side surfaces of the group 13 nitride crystal, and forming an outer periphery containing a {0001} plane at a bottom surface of the group 13 nitride crystal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a gallium nitride, comprising:
a crystal growth process to foam a gallium nitride crystal by growing the gallium nitride having a hexagonal crystal structure from a seed crystal which is a gallium nitride crystal having a hexagonal crystal structure in which a length “L” in a c-axis direction is 37.4 mm or more, and a ratio L/d of the length “L” to a crystal diameter “d” in a c-plane is larger than 0.813, wherein
the seed crystal includes boron, and density of boron in the seed crystal is 4×10 18 atms/cm 3 , and
the crystal growth process includes a process of forming an outer periphery containing a {10-10} plane and an outer periphery containing a {10-11} plane at side surfaces of the gallium nitride, and forming an outer periphery containing a {0001} plane at a bottom surface of the gallium nitride.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the crystal growth process, a growth rate of forming the gallium nitride in a <10-10>direction is faster than a growth rate of forming the gallium nitride in a <10-11>direction.

3. The method according to any of claim 1 , comprising:
a seed crystal installing process to install the seed crystal which is a gallium nitride crystal having a hexagonal crystal structure in which a length “L” in a c-axis direction is 37.4 mm or more, and a ratio L/d of the length “L” to a crystal diameter “d” in a c-plane is larger than 0.813 into a reactor vessel;
a putting process to put an alkali metal and a material containing at least a group 13 element into the reactor vessel;
a molten mixture forming process to melt the alkali metal and the material containing at least a group 13 element to form a molten mixture;
a nitrogen dissolving process to bring a gas containing nitrogen into contact with the molten mixture to dissolve the nitrogen from the gas into the molten mixture; and
a crystal growth process to obtain the gallium nitride by growing the gallium nitride from the seed crystal, with the nitrogen and the group 13 element in the molten mixture, wherein
in the seed crystal installation process, the gallium nitride crystal is installed at a bottom of the reactor vessel so that Ga surface faces upward.

4. A method of manufacturing a gallium nitride, comprising:
a crystal growth process to form the gallium nitride by growing gallium nitride having a hexagonal crystal structure from a seed crystal which is a gallium nitride crystal having a hexagonal crystal structure in which a length “L” in a c-axis direction is 37.4 mm or more, and a ratio L/d of the length “L” to a crystal diameter “d” in a c-plane is larger than 0.813, wherein
the seed crystal includes boron, and density of boron in the seed crystal is 4×10 18 atms/cm 3 , and
the crystal growth process includes a process of forming outer peripheries containing a {0001} plane at a top surface and a bottom surface of the gallium nitride, and forming an outer periphery containing a {10-10} plane and an outer periphery containing a {10-11} plane at side surfaces of the gallium nitride.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein
in the crystal growth process, a growth rate of forming the gallium nitride in a <10-10> direction is faster than a growth rate of forming the gallium nitride in a <10-11> direction.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein
in the crystal growth process, a growth rate of forming the gallium nitride in a <10-11> direction is faster than a growth rate of forming the gallium nitride in a <0001> direction.

7. The method according to claim 4 , comprising:
a seed crystal installing process to install the seed crystal which is a gallium nitride crystal having a hexagonal crystal structure in which a length “L” in a c-axis direction is 37.4 mm or more, and a ratio L/d of the length “L” to a crystal diameter “d” in a c-plane is larger than 0.813 into a reactor vessel;
a putting process to put an alkali metal and a material containing at least a group 13 element into the reactor vessel;
a molten mixture forming process to melt the alkali metal and the material containing at least a group 13 element to form a molten mixture;
a nitrogen dissolving process to bring a gas containing nitrogen into contact with the molten mixture to dissolve the nitrogen from the gas into the molten mixture; and
a crystal growth process to obtain the gallium nitride by growing the gallium nitride from the seed crystal, with the nitrogen and the group 13 element in the molten mixture, wherein
in the seed crystal installation process, the gallium nitride crystal is installed at a bottom of the reactor vessel so that Ga surface faces upward.

8. The method according to claim 4 , comprising:
a seed crystal installing process to install the seed crystal which is a gallium nitride crystal having a hexagonal crystal structure in which a length “L” in a c-axis direction is 37.4 mm or more, and a ratio L/d of the length “L” to a crystal diameter “d” in a c-plane is larger than 0.813 into a reactor vessel;
a putting process to put an alkali metal and a material containing at least a group 13 element into the reactor vessel;
a molten mixture forming process to melt the alkali metal and the material containing at least a group 13 element to form a molten mixture;
a nitrogen dissolving process to bring a gas containing nitrogen into contact with the molten mixture to dissolve the nitrogen from the gas into the molten mixture; and
a crystal growth process to obtain the gallium nitride by growing the gallium nitride from the seed crystal, with the nitrogen and the group 13 element in the molten mixture, wherein
in the seed crystal installation process, the gallium nitride crystal is installed at a bottom of the reactor vessel so that N surface faces upward.

Assignees

• Hayashi Masahiro
• Sarayama Seiji
• Satoh Takashi
• Nambu Hiroshi
• Kimura Chiharu
• Miyoshi Naoya
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hayashi Masahiro
• Sarayama Seiji
• Satoh Takashi
• Nambu Hiroshi
• Kimura Chiharu
• Miyoshi Naoya

Classifications

• H10H20/80

  Constructional details · CPC title

• C30B9/10

  Metal solvents · CPC title

• C30B9/12 Primary

  Salt solvents, e.g. flux growth · CPC title

• C30B29/406

  Gallium nitride · CPC title

• C30B29/38 Primary

  Nitrides · CPC title