Embodiments described herein relate to semiconductor and metal substrate surface preparation and controlled growth methods. An example application is formation of an atomic layer deposition (ALD) control layer as a diffusion barrier or gate dielectric layer and subsequent ALD processing. Embodiments described herein are believed to be advantageously utilized concerning gate oxide deposition, diffusion barrier deposition, surface functionalization, surface passivation, and oxide nucleation, among other processes. More specifically, embodiments described herein provide for silicon nitride ALD processes which functionalize, passivate, and nucleate a SiN.sub.x monolayer at temperatures below about 300° C.

A device includes a semiconductor substrate containing gallium nitride and having a crystal face inclined from 0.05° to 15° inclusive with respect to the c-plane. The semiconductor substrate includes an irregular portion on the crystal face, and the contact angle of pure water having a specific resistance of 18 MΩ.Math.cm or more on the surface of the irregular portion is 10° or less.

A method for growth and fabrication of semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices, comprising identifying desired material properties for a particular device application, selecting a semipolar growth orientation based on the desired material properties, selecting a suitable substrate for growth of the selected semipolar growth orientation, growing a planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N template or nucleation layer on the substrate, and growing the semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures or devices on the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N template or nucleation layer. The method results in a large area of the semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices being parallel to the substrate surface.

The present disclosure describes a semiconductor structure that includes a substrate from an undoped semiconductor material and a fin disposed on the substrate. The fin includes a non-polar top surface and two opposing first and second polar sidewall surfaces. The semiconductor structure further includes a polarization layer on the first polar sidewall surface, a doped semiconductor layer on the polarization layer, a dielectric layer on the doped semiconductor layer and on the second polar sidewall surface, and a gate electrode layer on the dielectric layer and the first polarized sidewall surface.

A gallium nitride based semiconductor device is provided, where when a thickness of a transition layer is defined as the followings, the thickness of the transition layer is less than 1.5 nm: (i) a distance between a depth position at which an atomic composition of nitrogen element constituting the gallium nitride based semiconductor layer is ½ relative to that at a position on the GaN based semiconductor layer side sufficiently away from the transition layer, and a depth position at which an atomic composition of a metal element is ½ of a value of a maximum if an atomic composition of the metal element constituting an insulating layer has the maximum, or a depth position at which an atomic composition of the metal element is ½ relative to that at a position on the insulating layer side sufficiently away from the transition layer if not having the maximum.

A nonpolar III-nitride film grown on a miscut angle of a substrate. The miscut angle towards the <000-1> direction is 0.75° or greater miscut and less than 27° miscut towards the <000-1> direction. Surface undulations are suppressed and may comprise faceted pyramids. A device fabricated using the film is also disclosed. A nonpolar III-nitride film having a smooth surface morphology fabricated using a method comprising selecting a miscut angle of a substrate upon which the nonpolar III-nitride films are grown in order to suppress surface undulations of the nonpolar III-nitride films. A nonpolar III-nitride-based device grown on a film having a smooth surface morphology grown on a miscut angle of a substrate which the nonpolar III-nitride films are grown. The miscut angle may also be selected to achieve long wavelength light emission from the nonpolar film.

Semiconductor structures and methods for forming those semiconductor structures are disclosed. For example, a semiconductor structure with a p-type superlattice region, an i-type superlattice region, and an n-type superlattice region is disclosed. The semiconductor structure can have a polar crystal structure with a growth axis that is substantially parallel to a spontaneous polarization axis of the polar crystal structure. In some cases, there are no abrupt changes in polarisation at interfaces between each region. At least one of the p-type superlattice region, the i-type superlattice region and the n-type superlattice region can comprise a plurality of unit cells exhibiting a monotonic change in composition from a wider band gap (WBG) material to a narrower band gap (NBG) material or from a NBG material to a WBG material along the growth axis to induce p-type or n-type conductivity.

A method of forming Si or Ge-based and III-V based vertically integrated nanowires on a single substrate and the resulting device are provided. Embodiments include forming first trenches in a Si, Ge, III-V, or Si.sub.xGe.sub.1-x substrate; forming a conformal SiN, SiO.sub.xC.sub.yN.sub.z layer over side and bottom surfaces of the first trenches; filling the first trenches with SiO.sub.x; forming a first mask over portions of the Si, Ge, III-V, or Si.sub.xGe.sub.1-x substrate; removing exposed portions of the Si, Ge, III-V, or Si.sub.xGe.sub.1-x substrate, forming second trenches; forming III-V, III-V.sub.xM.sub.y, or Si nanowires in the second trenches; removing the first mask and forming a second mask over the III-V.sub.xM.sub.y, or Si nanowires and intervening first trenches; removing the SiO.sub.x layer, forming third trenches; and removing the second mask.

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 vertical nitride semiconductor device includes an n-type aluminum nitride single-crystal substrate having an Si content of 3×10.sup.17 to 1×10.sup.20 cm.sup.−3 and a dislocation density of 10.sup.6 cm.sup.−2 or less. An ohmic electrode layer is formed on an N-polarity side of the n-type aluminum nitride single-crystal substrate.