According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a third electrode, a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer, and a first insulating layer. A position of the third electrode in a first direction is between a position of the first electrode in the first direction and a position of the second electrode in the first direction. The first semiconductor layer includes Al.sub.x1Ga.sub.1-x1N and includes a first partial region, a second partial region, and a third partial region. The second semiconductor layer includes Al.sub.x2Ga.sub.1-x2N. A portion of the second semiconductor layer is between the third partial region and the third electrode in the second direction. The first insulating layer includes a first insulating region. The first insulating region is between the third electrode and the portion of the second semiconductor layer in the second direction.

A method for activating implanted dopants and repairing damage to dopant-implanted GaN to form n-type or p-type GaN. A GaN substrate is implanted with n- or p-type ions and is subjected to a high-temperature anneal to activate the implanted dopants and to produce planar n- or p-type doped areas within the GaN having an activated dopant concentration of about 10.sup.18-10.sup.22 cm.sup.−3. An initial annealing at a temperature at which the GaN is stable at a predetermined process temperature for a predetermined time can be conducted before the high-temperature anneal. A thermally stable cap can be applied to the GaN substrate to suppress nitrogen evolution from the GaN surface during the high-temperature annealing step. The high-temperature annealing can be conducted under N.sub.2 pressure to increase the stability of the GaN. The annealing can be conducted using laser annealing or rapid thermal annealing (RTA).

Methods and systems for providing a short-duration anneal are provided. In one example, the methods and systems can include placing a workpiece in a thermal processing chamber. The workpiece can include a device side surface and an opposing non-device side surface. The methods and systems can include delivering an energy pulse from at least one heat source to the non-device side surface of the workpiece. In another example, the methods and systems can include depositing a layer of semiconductor material onto the semiconductor workpiece at the device side of the semiconductor workpiece. The methods and systems can include doping the layer of semiconductor material with a doping species and annealing the layer for crystallization using solid phase epitaxy.

A method of manufacturing semiconductor device of an embodiment includes performing a first ion implantation implanting at least one element selected from a group consisting of beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), and tin (Sn) into a nitride semiconductor layer; performing a second ion implantation implanting nitrogen (N) into the nitride semiconductor layer; performing a third ion implantation implanting hydrogen (H) into the nitride semiconductor layer; forming a covering layer on a surface of the nitride semiconductor layer after the first ion implantation, the second ion implantation, and the third ion implantation; performing a first heat treatment after forming the covering layer; removing the covering layer after the first heat treatment; and performing a second heat treatment after removing the covering layer.

There is provided a nitride crystal substrate comprising group-III nitride crystal and containing n-type impurities, wherein an absorption coefficient α is approximately expressed by equation (1) in a wavelength range of at least 1 μm or more and 3.3 μm or less: α=n Kλ.sup.a (1) (wherein, λ(μm) is a wavelength, α(cm.sup.−1) is absorption coefficient of the nitride crystal substrate at 27° C., n (cm.sup.−3) is a free electron concentration in the nitride crystal substrate, and K and a are constants, satisfying 1.5×10.sup.−19≤K≤6.0×10.sup.−19, a=3).

An electronic device including a transistor structure, and a process of forming the electronic device can include providing a workpiece including a substrate, a first layer, and a channel layer including a compound semiconductor material; and implanting a species into the workpiece such that the projected range extends at least into the channel and first layers, and the implant is performed into an area corresponding to at least a source region of the transistor structure. In an embodiment, the area corresponds to substantially all area occupied by the transistor structure. In another embodiment, the implant can form crystal defects within layers between the substrate and source, gate, and drain electrodes. The crystal defects may allow resistive coupling between the substrate and the channel structure within the transistor structure. The resistive coupling allows for better dynamic on-state resistance and potentially other electrical properties.

A method for preparing a crystalline semiconductor layer in order for the layer to be provided with a specific lattice parameter involves a relaxation procedure that is applied for a first time to a first start donor substrate in order to obtain a second donor substrate. Using the second donor substrate as the start donor substrate, the relaxation procedure is repeated for a number of times that is sufficient for the lattice parameter of the relaxed layer to be provided with the specific lattice parameter. A set of substrates may be obtained by the method.

A method for protecting a semiconductor film comprised of one or more layers during processing. The method includes placing a surface of the semiconductor film in direct contact with a surface of a protective covering, such as a separate substrate piece, that forms an airtight or hermetic seal with the surface of the semiconductor film, so as to reduce material degradation and evaporation in the semiconductor film. The method includes processing the semiconductor film under some conditions, such as a thermal annealing and/or controlled ambient, which might cause the semiconductor film's evaporation or degradation without the protective covering.

A transistor includes a III-N channel layer; a III-N barrier layer on the III-N channel layer; a source contact and a drain contact, the source and drain contacts electrically coupled to the III-N channel layer; an insulator layer on the III-N barrier layer; a gate insulator partially on the insulator layer and partially on the III-N channel layer, the gate insulator including an amorphous Al.sub.1-xSi.sub.xO layer with 0.2<x<0.8; and a gate electrode over the gate insulator, the gate electrode being positioned between the source and drain contacts.

The invention is a special designed pattern heterogeneous substrate, which is epitaxially deposited on a heterogeneous substrate by two step growth, and a thermal cycle annealing is added to reduce the lattice mismatch between the layers and the difference in thermal expansion coefficient, thereby obtaining a better stress. The quality of the semiconductor epitaxial layer is improved, and the present invention can easily grasp the timing of stress release when the semiconductor is grown on the heterogeneous substrate, avoid cracks in the semiconductor epitaxial layer, and form a crack free zone in the middle of the semiconductor epitaxial layer.