Devices formed from a non-polar plane of a crystalline material and method of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9576951-B2
Application number	US-201615082841-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2016
Priority date	Apr 2, 2009
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

Materials, methods, structures and device including the same can provide a semiconductor device such as an LED using an active region corresponding to a non-polar face or surface of III-V semiconductor crystalline material. In some embodiments, an active diode region contains more non-polar III-V material oriented to a non-polar plane than III-V material oriented to a polar plane. In other embodiments, a bottom region contains more non-polar m-plane or a-plane surface area GaN than polar c-plane surface area GaN facing an active region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A diode comprising:
first diode region comprising a III-N semiconductor crystalline material having a polar plane and a non-polar plane; and
a second diode region proximate the first diode region, an active diode region being disposed between the first diode region and the second diode region, at least a portion of the active diode region and the second diode region being along the polar plane and the non-polar plane of the III-N semiconductor crystalline material.

2. The diode of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a non-polar surface area of the first diode region to a polar surface area of the first diode region is more than one.

3. The diode of claim 1 , wherein the first diode region has a recess, the non-polar plane being a sidewall of the recess.

4. The diode of claim 1 , wherein the first diode region and the second diode region are a same semiconductor crystalline material.

5. The diode of claim 1 , wherein the first diode region and the second diode region are a different semiconductor crystalline material.

6. The diode of claim 1 , wherein the active diode region and the second diode region have fewer defects per unit area than the first diode region.

7. The diode of claim 6 further comprising:
a substrate, the first diode region being over the substrate;
a first conductive contact adjacent the substrate; and
a second conductive contact adjacent the second diode region.

8. The diode of claim 7 , wherein the substrate is a sapphire substrate.

9. The diode of claim 1 further comprising:
a handle substrate adjacent the second diode region;
a first conductive contact adjacent the handle substrate; and
a second conductive contact adjacent the first diode region.

10. A structure comprising:
a bottom diode region having at least one first surface aligned in a non-polar plane of a III-N semiconductor crystalline layer and at least one second surface aligned in a polar plane of the III-N semiconductor crystalline layer;
an active diode region along the at least one first surface and the at least one second surface of the bottom diode region; and
a top diode region adjoining the active diode region.

11. The structure of claim 10 , wherein the bottom diode region comprises a recess in the III-N semiconductor crystalline layer, the at least one first surface aligned in a non-polar plane of the III-N semiconductor crystalline layer comprising a sidewall of the recess.

12. The structure of claim 10 , wherein the bottom diode region is a different semiconductor crystalline material than at least the active region or the top diode region.

13. The structure of claim 10 , wherein the bottom diode region and the top diode region are a same semiconductor crystalline material.

14. The structure of claim 10 , wherein a top surface of the top diode region is level with a top surface of the active diode region.

15. The structure of claim 10 further comprising:
a substrate adjacent the bottom diode region;
a first conductive contact adjacent the substrate; and
a second conductive contact adjacent the top diode region.

16. The structure of claim 10 further comprising:
a handle substrate adjacent the top diode region;
a first conductive contact adjacent the handle substrate; and
a second conductive contact adjacent the bottom diode region.

17. A method comprising:
forming a first semiconductor crystalline material including one or more recesses, sidewalls of the recesses being non-polar planes, the first semiconductor crystalline material being a first diode region;
forming an active diode region in the one or more recesses of the first semiconductor crystalline material; and
forming a second semiconductor crystalline material over the active diode region, the second semiconductor crystalline material being a second diode region, the first diode region, the active diode region, and the second diode region forming a diode.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a ratio of non-polar surface area of the first semiconductor crystalline material of the diode to polar surface area of the first semiconductor crystalline material of the diode is more than one.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:
removing at least a portion of the second semiconductor crystalline material along a polar top surface of the first semiconductor crystalline material.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising:
after forming the second semiconductor crystalline material, removing at least a portion of the first semiconductor crystalline material or the second semiconductor crystalline material corresponding to bottom polar surfaces of the one or more recesses.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lochtefeld Anthony J

Classifications

• H10P14/3466

  Crystal orientation · CPC title

• H10P14/3416

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P14/3242

  Structure · CPC title

• H10P14/3216

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P14/2925 Primary

  Surface structures · CPC title