A semi-insulating compound semiconductor substrate includes a semi-insulating compound semiconductor, the semi-insulating compound semiconductor substrate being configured such that, on a major plane having a plane orientation of (100), a standard deviation/average value of specific resistance measured at intervals of 0.1 mm along equivalent four directions in a <110> direction from a center of the major plane, and a standard deviation/average value of specific resistance measured at intervals of 0.1 mm along equivalent four directions in a <100> direction from the center of the major plane are each not more than 0.1.

A method of forming an aluminum nitride film includes: preparing a substrate that comprises, in a surface thereof, a plurality of concave portions that are separated from each other; forming an aluminum nitride film on said surface of the substrate and on an inner surface of each of the concave portions such that open holes are formed in a portion of the aluminum nitride film corresponding to each of the concave portions, each of the holes being smaller than each of openings of the concave portions; and applying heat treatment to the substrate with the aluminum nitride film formed thereon in a nitrogen gas containing a carbon monoxide gas to close the holes formed in the aluminum nitride film.

Fabricating a regrown GaN p-n junction includes depositing a n-GaN layer on a substrate including n.sup.+-GaN, etching a surface of the n-GaN layer to yield an etched surface, depositing a p-GaN layer on the etched surface, etching a portion of the n-GaN layer and a portion of the p-GaN layer to yield a mesa opposite the substrate, and passivating a portion of the p-GaN layer around an edge of the mesa. The regrown GaN p-n junction is defined at an interface between the n-GaN layer and the p-GaN layer. The regrown GaN p-n junction includes a substrate, a n-GaN layer on the substrate having an etched surface, a p-GaN layer on the etched surface, a mesa defined by an etched portion of the n-GaN layer and an etched portion of the p-GaN layer, and a passivated portion of the p-GaN layer around an edge of the mesa.

A gallium nitride (GaN) substrate is injected with magnesium as a p-type dopant. The GaN substrate undergoes preheating through irradiation with light from halogen lamps in an atmosphere containing nitrogen and hydrogen, and further undergoes heating to a high temperature for a super-short time through irradiation with flashes of light from flash lamps. Heating the GaN substrate in the atmosphere containing nitrogen and hydrogen complements removed nitrogen, thus preventing nitrogen shortage. Such a heating process also enables heat treatment while supplying hydrogen to the GaN substrate. The heating process further enables crystal defects in the GaN substrate to be recovered. With these effects, the p-type dopant injected into the GaN substrate is activated with high efficiency.

An electrode structure with an alloy interface is provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a contact structure includes: patterning a via in a first dielectric layer; depositing a barrier layer onto the first dielectric layer, lining the via; depositing and polishing a first metal layer (Element A) into the via to form a contact in the via; depositing a second metal layer (Element B) onto the contact in the via; annealing the first and second metal layers under conditions sufficient to form an alloy AB; depositing a third metal layer onto the second metal layer; patterning the second and third metal layers into a pedestal stack over the contact to form an electrode over the contact, wherein the alloy AB is present at an interface of the electrode and the contact; and depositing a second dielectric that surrounds the pedestal stack. A contact structure is also provided.

The present application provides a method for preparing a p-type semiconductor structure, an enhancement mode device and a method for manufacturing the same. The method for preparing a p-type semiconductor structure includes: preparing a p-type semiconductor layer; preparing a protective layer on the p-type semiconductor layer, in which the protective layer is made of AlN or AlGaN; and annealing the p-type semiconductor layer under protection of the protective layer, and at least one of the p-type semiconductor layer and the protective layer is formed by in-situ growth. In this way, the protective layer can protect the p-type semiconductor layer from volatilization and to form high-quality surface morphology in the subsequent high-temperature annealing treatment of the p-type semiconductor layer.

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.

A manufacturing method of a semiconductor element includes: providing a photoresist on a wafer; supplying a first gas, containing oxygen, at a first flow rate to a bake chamber such that oxygen solubility of the photoresist becomes saturated, and supplying a second gas, which is oxygen-free, at a second flow rate to the bake chamber; and performing a bake process on the wafer in the bake chamber.

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.

A manufacturing method of an HEMT includes: forming a heterostructure; forming a first gate layer of intrinsic semiconductor material on the heterostructure; forming a second gate layer, containing dopant impurities of a P type, on the first gate layer; removing first portions of the second gate layer so that second portions, not removed, of the second gate layer form a doped gate region; and carrying out a thermal annealing of the doped gate region so as to cause a diffusion of said dopant impurities of the P type in the first gate layer and in the heterostructure, with a concentration, in the heterostructure, that decreases as the lateral distance from the doped gate region increases.