Process for producing a group-III nitride crystal and process for producing a light-emitting semiconductor element or a semiconductor device comprising a group-III nitride crystal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9428386-B2
Application number	US-201414229316-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Jan 15, 2010
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

Provided is a base substrate with which a Group-III nitride crystal having a large area and a large thickness can be grown while inhibiting crack generation. A single-crystal substrate for use in growing a Group-III nitride crystal thereon, which satisfies the following Z1>0 expression (1), wherein Z1 (μm) is an amount of warpage of physical shape in a growth surface of the single-crystal substrate and Z2<0 expression (2), wherein Z2 (μm) is an amount of warpage calculated from a radius of curvature of crystallographic-plane shape in a growth surface of the single-crystal substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a light-emitting semiconductor element or a semiconductor device, which comprises growing a Group-III nitride crystal on a growth surface of a single-crystal substrate, wherein the single-crystal substrate satisfies the following expressions (1) and (2) and has a back surface of concave shape, wherein Z1 (μm) is an amount of warpage of physical shape in a growth surface of the single-crystal substrate and Z2 (μm) is an amount of warpage calculated from a radius of curvature of crystallographic-plane shape in a growth surface of the single crystal substrate:
Z 1>0  Expression (1)

Z 2<0  Expression (2).

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the single-crystal substrate is a hexagonal crystal, and a crystallographic plane of the growth surface thereof is any one of a {0001} plane, a {10-10} plane, a {11-20} plane, a {11-22} plane, and a {20-21} plane.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the single-crystal substrate comprises a Group-III nitride crystal.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the single-crystal substrate has an area of 20 cm 2 or more.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the single-crystal substrate is 100 μm to 1,000 μm.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the growth surface is a polished surface.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the step of growing a Group-III nitride crystal, the Group-III nitride crystal is vapor-phase grown.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein a method of vapor-phase growth is at least one method selected from the group consisting of an HVPE method, a MOCVD method, a MBE method or a sublimation method.

9. A method for producing a Group-III nitride crystal, which comprises growing a Group-III nitride crystal on a growth surface of a single-crystal substrate, wherein the single-crystal substrate satisfies the following expressions (1) and (2) and has a back surface of concave shape, wherein Z1 (μm) is an amount of warpage of physical shape in a growth surface of the single-crystal substrate and Z2 (μm) is an amount of warpage calculated from a radius of curvature of crystallographic-plane shape in a growth surface of the single crystal substrate:
Z 1>0  Expression (1)

Z 2<0  Expression (2).

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the single-crystal substrate is a hexagonal crystal, and a crystallographic plane of the growth surface thereof is any one of a {0001} plane, a {10-10} plane, a {11-20} plane, a {11-22} plane, and a {20-21} plane.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the single-crystal substrate comprises a Group-III nitride crystal.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the single-crystal substrate has an area of 20 cm 2 or more.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein a thickness of the single-crystal substrate is 100 μm to 1,000 μm.

14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the growth surface is a polished surface.

15. The method according to claim 9 , wherein in the step of growing a Group-III nitride crystal, the Group-III nitride crystal is vapor-phase grown.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein a method of vapor-phase growth is at least one method selected from the group consisting of an HVPE method, a MOCVD method, a MBE method or a sublimation method.

17. The method according to claim 9 , which, after the step of growing the Group-III nitride crystal, further comprises removing the single-crystal substrate from the grown Group-III nitride crystal.

18. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the Group-III nitride crystal to be grown in the step of growing is a GaN crystal.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Chem Corp

Inventors

• Fujito Kenji
• Uchiyama Yasuhiro

Classifications

• H10P14/3416

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P14/2926

  Crystal orientations · CPC title

• H10P14/2925

  Surface structures · CPC title

• H10P14/2908

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P14/2901

  Materials · CPC title