Single crystal semiconductor structure and method of fabricating the same
11508820 · 2022-11-22
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H01L21/02422
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/04
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H01L21/00
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/04
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/16
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
A single crystal semiconductor structure includes: an amorphous substrate; a single crystal semiconductor layer provided on the amorphous substrate; and a thin orienting film provided between the amorphous substrate and the single crystal semiconductor layer, wherein the thin orienting film is a single crystal thin film, and the thin orienting film has a non-zero thickness that is equal to or less than 10 times a critical thickness h.sub.c.
Claims
1. A single crystal semiconductor structure comprising: an amorphous substrate; a single crystal semiconductor layer provided on the amorphous substrate; and an orienting film provided between the amorphous substrate and the single crystal semiconductor layer, wherein the orienting film comprises a single crystal film, wherein the orienting film has a non-zero thickness that is equal to or less than 10 times a critical thickness h.sub.c, and wherein the critical thickness h.sub.c is determined by the following equation:
2. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the single crystal semiconductor layer comprises: a lower single crystal layer; and an upper single crystal layer, and wherein the lower single crystal layer comprises a nucleation layer for the upper single crystal layer.
3. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 2, wherein a crystallinity of the upper single crystal layer is higher than a crystallinity of the lower single crystal layer.
4. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 2, further comprising: a mask pattern provided between the lower single crystal layer and the upper single crystal layer, wherein the mask pattern comprises holes through which the lower single crystal layer is exposed to the upper single crystal layer, and wherein the upper single crystal layer is provided on the mask pattern and fills the holes.
5. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 2, wherein the orienting film has a lattice structure that matches a lattice structure of the lower single crystal layer.
6. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 1, wherein the orienting film comprises a CeO.sub.2 film having a (111) crystal orientation direction or a Sc.sub.2O.sub.3 film having a (111) crystal orientation direction.
7. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 1, further comprising: an upper heat transfer layer provided between the orienting film and the amorphous substrate.
8. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 7, wherein the upper heat transfer layer comprises a metal.
9. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 7, further comprising: a planarization layer provided between the upper heat transfer layer and the orienting film, wherein the planarization layer has a top surface facing the orienting film and a bottom surface facing the upper heat transfer layer, and wherein a surface roughness of the top surface of the planarization layer is less than a surface roughness of the bottom surface of the planarization layer.
10. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 9, wherein the planarization layer comprises a silicon oxide or a silicon nitride.
11. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 7, further comprising: a lower heat transfer layer provided on a side of the amorphous substrate opposite the orienting film.
12. The single crystal semiconductor structure of claim 11, wherein the lower heat transfer layer comprises a metal.
13. A single crystal semiconductor structure comprising: an amorphous substrate; a single crystal semiconductor layer provided on the amorphous substrate; and an orienting film provided between the amorphous substrate and the single crystal semiconductor layer, wherein the orienting film comprises a single crystal film, wherein the orienting film has a non-zero thickness that is equal to or less than 10 times a critical thickness h.sub.c, and wherein the critical thickness h.sub.c is determined by the following equation:
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain example embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(12) Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In this regard, the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are merely described below, by referring to the figures, to explain aspects. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.
(13) Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements, and the sizes of elements may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration. The embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only, and various modifications may be made therein.
(14) In the following description, when an element is referred to as being “above” or “on” another element, it may be directly on the other element while making contact with the other element or may be above the other element without making contact with the other element.
(15) The terms of a singular form may include plural forms unless otherwise mentioned. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, and/or “including” used herein specify the presence of stated features or elements, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features or elements.
(16) In the present disclosure, terms such as “unit” or “˜or/er” are used to denote a unit having at least one function or operation and may be implemented with hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.
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(18) Referring to
(19) The thin orienting film 200 may be provided on the substrate 100. The thin orienting film 200 may be a single crystal thin film. For example, the thin orienting film 200 may have the (111) direction, the (001) direction, or the (100) direction. When the thin orienting film 200 has the (111) direction, the thin orienting film 200 may be a thin CeO.sub.2 film or a thin Sc.sub.2O.sub.3 film. When the thin orienting film 200 has the (100) direction, the thin orienting film 200 may be a thin MgO film.
(20) The thickness of the thin orienting film 200 is sufficiently small, and thus, the lower single crystal layer 300 may be thermodynamically and stably provided on the thin orienting film 200. For example, the thickness of the thin orienting film 200 may be equal to or less than 10 times a critical thickness h.sub.c. The critical thickness h.sub.c may be expressed by the following equation:
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(22) where b is Burgers vector of dislocation of the thin orienting film 200, μ is Poisson's ratio of the thin orienting film 200, and ε.sub.0 is a degree of lattice misfit between the thin orienting film 200 and the lower single crystal layer 300.
(23) The lower single crystal layer 300 may be provided on the thin orienting film 200. The lower single crystal layer 300 may be directly in contact with the thin orienting film 200. In other words, a bottom surface of the lower single crystal layer 300 may be directly in contact with a top surface of the thin orienting film 200. The lower single crystal layer 300 may be a Group III-V compound semiconductor layer. For example, when the thin orienting film 200 is a thin CeO.sub.2 film having the (111) direction or a thin Sc.sub.2O.sub.3 film having the (111) direction, the lower single crystal layer 300 may be a single crystal GaN layer having the (001) direction or a single crystal InGaN layer having the (001) direction. For example, when the thin orienting film 200 is a thin MgO film having the (100) direction, the lower single crystal layer 300 may be a GaAs layer having the (100) direction, an AlGaAs layer having the (100) direction, or an AlGaInP layer having the (100) direction. The lower single crystal layer 300 may be a nucleation layer. The lower single crystal layer 300 may be an epitaxy layer formed at a relatively low temperature. The process of forming the lower single crystal layer 300 will be described later.
(24) The upper single crystal layer 400 may be provided on the lower single crystal layer 300. The upper single crystal layer 400 may have substantially the same material and the same lattice structure as the lower single crystal layer 300. For example, when the lower single crystal layer 300 is a single crystal GaN layer having the (001) direction, the upper single crystal layer 400 may be a single crystal GaN layer having the (001) direction. For example, when the lower single crystal layer 300 is a single crystal GaN layer having the (001) direction, a single crystal InGaN layer having the (001) direction, a GaAs layer having the (100) direction, an AlGaAs layer having the (100) direction, or an AlGaInP layer having the (100) direction, the upper single crystal layer 400 may also be a single crystal GaN layer having the (001) direction, a single crystal InGaN layer having the (001) direction, a GaAs layer having the (100) direction, an AlGaAs layer having the (100) direction, or an AlGaInP layer having the (100) direction, respectively. The upper single crystal layer 400 may be an epitaxy layer formed at a relatively high temperature. The process of forming the upper single crystal layer 400 will be described later.
(25) When the lower single crystal layer 300 is not stably provided on the thin orienting film 200, strain engineering films may be required to reduce strain caused by a lattice constant difference between the thin orienting film 200 and the lower single crystal layer 300.
(26) According to example embodiments, the thin orienting film 200 may have a sufficiently small thickness such that the lower single crystal layer 300 may be stably provided on the thin orienting film 200. Therefore, the lower single crystal layer 300 may be provided on the thin orienting film 200 in direct contact with the thin orienting film 200. In other words, films for reducing strain caused by a lattice constant difference may not be required between the thin orienting film 200 and the lower single crystal layer 300.
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(28) Referring to
(29) The forming of the thin orienting film 200 may include depositing a material 20, which forms the thin orienting film 200, on the substrate 100 as shown, for example, in
(30) The thin orienting film 200 may be formed as a single crystal thin film. For example, the thin orienting film 200 may be formed to have the (111) direction, the (001) direction, or the (100) direction. For example, the thin orienting film 200 may be a thin CeO.sub.2 film having the (111) direction, a thin Sc.sub.2O.sub.3 film having the (111) direction, or a thin MgO film having the (100) direction. The thin orienting film 200 may be formed such that the thickness of the thin orienting film 200 may be equal to or less than 10 times a critical thickness h.sub.c. The critical thickness h.sub.c is the same as that described with reference to
(31) Referring to
(32) Referring to
(33) Example embodiments may provide a method of fabricating a single crystal semiconductor structure by growing the lower single crystal layer 300 directly on the thin orienting film 200. The thin orienting film 200 may have a sufficiently small thickness such that the lower single crystal layer 300 may be stably formed on the thin orienting film 200. Thus, films for reducing strain caused by a lattice constant difference may not be required between the thin orienting film 200 and the lower single crystal layer 300.
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(35) Referring to
(36) The mask pattern 600 may be provided between the lower single crystal layer 300 and the upper single crystal layer 400. The mask pattern 600 may cover a top surface of the lower single crystal layer 300. The mask pattern 600 may include a plurality of holes. The holes of the mask pattern 600 may expose the top surface of the lower single crystal layer 300. The upper single crystal layer 400 may then be epitaxially grown on the exposed top surface of the lower single crystal layer 300. The holes of the mask pattern 600 may be filled with the upper single crystal layer 400.
(37) The mask pattern 600 may be formed through an in-situ process or an ex-situ process. When the mask pattern 600 is formed through an in-situ process, the mask pattern 600 may include a silicon nitride (for example, SiN or Si.sub.3N.sub.4). When the mask pattern 600 is formed through an ex-situ process, the mask pattern 600 may include a silicon oxide (for example, SiO.sub.2) or a silicon nitride (for example, SiN or Si.sub.3N.sub.4).
(38) According to example embodiments, the mask pattern 600 may reduce stress of the lower and upper single crystal layers 300 and 400. Therefore, the crystallinity of the lower and upper single crystal layers 300 and 400 may be improved.
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(40) Referring to
(41) The lower heat diffusion layer 710 may be provided on a side of the substrate 100 which is opposite the thin orienting film 200 with the substrate 100 positioned therebetween. For example, the lower heat diffusion layer 710 may be provided on a bottom surface of the substrate 100. The lower heat diffusion layer 710 may include a material having good heat transfer characteristics. For example, the lower heat diffusion layer 710 may include a metal layer. For example, the lower heat diffusion layer 710 may include molybdenum (Mo).
(42) The lower heat diffusion layer 710 may be formed through a deposition process. For example, the lower heat diffusion layer 710 may be provided by forming a molybdenum (Mo) film on the bottom surface of the substrate 100 through a sputtering process.
(43) According to example embodiments, the lower heat diffusion layer 710 may maintain the single crystal semiconductor structure 12 at a uniform temperature. Therefore, deterioration of the single crystal semiconductor structure 12 may be reduced or prevented.
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(45) Referring to
(46) The upper heat diffusion layer 720 may be provided between the thin orienting film 200 and the substrate 100. For example, the upper heat diffusion layer 720 may be provided on a top surface of the substrate 100. The upper heat diffusion layer 720 may include a material having good heat transfer characteristics. For example, the upper heat diffusion layer 720 may include a metal layer. For example, the upper heat diffusion layer 720 may include molybdenum (Mo).
(47) The upper heat diffusion layer 720 may be formed through a deposition process. For example, the upper heat diffusion layer 720 may be provided by forming a molybdenum (Mo) film on the top surface of the substrate 100 through a sputtering process.
(48) The planarization layer 500 may be provided between the upper heat diffusion layer 720 and the thin orienting film 200. The surface roughness of a top surface of the planarization layer 500 may be less than the surface roughness of a bottom surface of the planarization layer 500. The planarization layer 500 may include a silicon oxide (for example, SiO.sub.2) or a silicon nitride (for example, SiN).
(49) According to example embodiments, the upper heat diffusion layer 720 and the lower heat diffusion layer 710 may maintain the single crystal semiconductor structure 13 at a uniform temperature. Therefore, deterioration of the single crystal semiconductor structure 13 may be reduced or prevented.
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(51) Referring to
(52) According to example embodiments, the mask pattern 600 may reduce stress of the lower and upper single crystal layers 300 and 400. Therefore, the crystallinity of the lower and upper single crystal layers 300 and 400 may be improved.
(53) According to example embodiments, the lower heat diffusion layer 710 may maintain the single crystal semiconductor structure 14 at a uniform temperature. Therefore, deterioration of the single crystal semiconductor structure 14 may be reduced or prevented.
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(55) Referring to
(56) According to example embodiments, the mask pattern 600 may reduce stress of the lower and upper single crystal layers 300 and 400. Therefore, the crystallinity of the lower and upper single crystal layers 300 and 400 may be improved.
(57) According to example embodiments, the upper heat diffusion layer 720 and the lower heat diffusion layer 710 may maintain the single crystal semiconductor structure 15 at a uniform temperature. Therefore, deterioration of the single crystal semiconductor structure 15 may be reduced or prevented.
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(59) Referring to
(60) Referring to
(61) When the upper single crystal layer 400 is not stably provided on the thin orienting film 200, strain engineering films are required to reduce strain caused by a lattice constant difference between the upper single crystal layer 400 and the thin orienting film 200.
(62) However, according to example embodiments, the thin orienting film 200 may have a sufficiently small thickness such that the upper single crystal layer 400 may be stably provided on the thin orienting film 200. Therefore, the upper single crystal layer 400 may be provided on the thin orienting film 200 in direct contact with the thin orienting film 200. In other words, films for reducing strain caused by a lattice constant difference may not be required between the thin orienting film 200 and the upper single crystal layer 400.
(63) As described above, example embodiments may provide single crystal semiconductor structures including a single crystal semiconductor layer formed on an amorphous substrate.
(64) In addition, example embodiments may provide methods of forming a single crystal semiconductor layer on an amorphous substrate.
(65) However, effects of example embodiments are not limited thereto.
(66) It should be understood that embodiments described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments. While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.