An underlying substrate including a seed crystal layer of a group 13 nitride, wherein projections and recesses repeatedly appear in stripe shapes at a principal surface of the seed crystal layer, and the projections have a level difference of 0.3 to 40 m and a width of 5 to 100 m, and the recesses have a bottom thickness of 2 m or more and a width of 50 to 500 m.

A production method for a group III nitride crystal, the production method includes: preparing a plurality of group III nitride pieces as a plurality of seed crystals on a substrate, and growing a group III nitride crystal by bringing a surface of each of the seed crystals into contact with a melt that comprises at least one group III element selected from gallium, aluminum, and indium, and an alkali metal in an atmosphere comprising nitrogen, and thereby reacting the group III element and the nitrogen in the melt, wherein the step of growing a group III nitride crystal includes: growing a plurality of first group III nitride crystals whose cross-sections each have a triangular shape or a trapezoidal shape, from the plurality of seed crystals; and growing second group III nitride crystals each in a gap among the plurality of first group III nitride crystals.

A production method for a group III nitride crystal, the production method includes: preparing a plurality of group III nitride pieces as a plurality of seed crystals on a substrate, and growing a group III nitride crystal by bringing a surface of each of the seed crystals into contact with a melt that comprises at least one group III element selected from gallium, aluminum, and indium, and an alkali metal in an atmosphere comprising nitrogen, and thereby reacting the group III element and the nitrogen in the melt, wherein the step of growing a group III nitride crystal includes: growing a plurality of first group III nitride crystals whose cross-sections each have a triangular shape or a trapezoidal shape, from the plurality of seed crystals; and growing second group III nitride crystals each in a gap among the plurality of first group III nitride crystals.

There is provided a manufacturing method of a III-V compound crystal including a seed-crystal-formed substrate provision step of providing a seed-crystal-formed substrate in which a III-V compound seed crystal has been formed on a substrate, a seed crystal partial separation step of separating part of a portion in contact with the substrate in the III-V compound seed crystal from the substrate, and a crystal growth step of generating and growing the III-V compound crystal by reacting a group III element and a group V element with use of the III-V compound seed crystal as a nucleus after the seed crystal partial separation step.

There is provided a manufacturing method of a III-V compound crystal including a seed-crystal-formed substrate provision step of providing a seed-crystal-formed substrate in which a III-V compound seed crystal has been formed on a substrate, a seed crystal partial separation step of separating part of a portion in contact with the substrate in the III-V compound seed crystal from the substrate, and a crystal growth step of generating and growing the III-V compound crystal by reacting a group III element and a group V element with use of the III-V compound seed crystal as a nucleus after the seed crystal partial separation step.

A group 13 nitride layer is composed of a polycrystalline group 13 nitride and is constituted by a plurality of monocrystalline particles having a particular crystal orientation approximately in a normal direction. The group 13 nitride comprises gallium nitride, aluminum nitride, indium nitride or the mixed crystal thereof. The group 13 nitride layer includes an upper surface and a bottom surface, and a full width at half maximum of a (1000) plane reflection of X-ray rocking curve on the upper surface is 20000 seconds or less and 1500 seconds or more.

A group 13 nitride layer is composed of a polycrystalline group 13 nitride and is constituted by a plurality of monocrystalline particles having a particular crystal orientation approximately in a normal direction. The group 13 nitride comprises gallium nitride, aluminum nitride, indium nitride or the mixed crystal thereof. The group 13 nitride layer includes an upper surface and a bottom surface, and a full width at half maximum of a (1000) plane reflection of X-ray rocking curve on the upper surface is 20000 seconds or less and 1500 seconds or more.

A method of producing a functional device has an etched gallium nitride layer and a functional layer having a nitride of a group 13 element. The method includes providing a body comprising a surface gallium nitride layer, performing a dry etching treatment of a surface of the surface gallium nitride layer to provide the etched gallium nitride layer using a plasma etching system comprising an inductively coupled plasma generating system, introducing an etchant during the dry etching treatment, the etchant consisting essentially of a fluorine-based gas, and forming the functional layer on a surface of the etched gallium nitride layer.

A CVD single crystal diamond material suitable for use in, or as, an optical device or element. It is suitable for use in a wide range of optical applications such as, for example, optical windows, laser windows, optical reflectors, optical refractors and gratings, and etalons. The CVD diamond material is produced by a CVD method in the presence of a controlled low level of nitrogen to control the development of crystal defects and thus achieve a diamond material having key characteristics for optical applications.

A CVD single crystal diamond material suitable for use in, or as, an optical device or element. It is suitable for use in a wide range of optical applications such as, for example, optical windows, laser windows, optical reflectors, optical refractors and gratings, and etalons. The CVD diamond material is produced by a CVD method in the presence of a controlled low level of nitrogen to control the development of crystal defects and thus achieve a diamond material having key characteristics for optical applications.