EPITAXIAL SUBSTRATE FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE EPITAXIAL SUBSTRATE FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE ELECTRONIC DEVICE
20170352537 · 2017-12-07
Assignee
Inventors
- Kazunori HAGIMOTO (Takasaki-shi, JP)
- Masaru SHINOMIYA (Annaka-shi, JP)
- Keitaro TSUCHIYA (Takasaki-shi, JP)
- Hirokazu GOTO (Minato-ku, JP)
- Ken SATO (Miyoshi-machi, JP)
- Hiroshi SHIKAUCHI (Niiza-shi, JP)
Cpc classification
H01L29/7786
ELECTRICITY
C30B25/183
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
International classification
H01L21/02
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/778
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/66
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/205
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/20
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
An epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, including: a Si-based substrate; an AlN initial layer provided on the Si-based substrate; and a buffer layer provided on the AlN initial layer, wherein the roughness Sa of the surface of the AlN initial layer on the side where the buffer layer is located is 4 nm or more. As a result, an epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, in which V pits in a buffer layer structure can be suppressed and longitudinal leakage current characteristics can be improved when an electronic device is fabricated therewith, is provided.
Claims
1-8. (canceled)
9. An epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, comprising: a Si-based substrate; an AlN initial layer provided on the Si-based substrate; and a buffer layer provided on the AlN initial layer, wherein a roughness Sa of a surface of the AlN initial layer on a side where the buffer layer is located is 4 nm or more and 8 nm or less.
10. The epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 9, wherein the buffer layer includes an Al.sub.zGa.sub.1−zN (0≦z<1) layer which is in contact with the AlN initial layer, and a roughness Sa of a surface of the Al.sub.zGa.sub.1−zN (0≦z<1) layer on a side opposite to the AlN initial layer is 0.6 nm or less.
11. The epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 10, wherein the buffer layer includes a multilayer film that is in contact with the Al.sub.zGa.sub.1−zN (0≦z<1) layer and is composed of Al.sub.xGa.sub.1−xN (0≦x<1) layers and Al.sub.yGa.sub.1−yN (0≦y<x) layers which are alternately stacked, and a roughness Sa of a surface of the multilayer film on a side opposite to the Al.sub.zGa.sub.1−zN (0≦z<1) layer is 0.3 nm or less.
12. The epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 9, further comprising: a channel layer provided on the buffer layer; a barrier layer provided on the channel layer; and a cap layer provided on the barrier layer.
13. The epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 10, further comprising: a channel layer provided on the buffer layer; a barrier layer provided on the channel layer; and a cap layer provided on the barrier layer.
14. The epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 11, further comprising: a channel layer provided on the buffer layer; a barrier layer provided on the channel layer; and a cap layer provided on the barrier layer.
15. An electronic device that is fabricated by using the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 9, wherein on the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, electrodes are provided.
16. An electronic device that is fabricated by using the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 10, wherein on the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, electrodes are provided.
17. An electronic device that is fabricated by using the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 11, wherein on the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, electrodes are provided.
18. An electronic device that is fabricated by using the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 12, wherein on the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, electrodes are provided.
19. An electronic device that is fabricated by using the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 13, wherein on the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, electrodes are provided.
20. An electronic device that is fabricated by using the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices according to claim 14, wherein on the epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, electrodes are provided.
21. A method for producing an epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, comprising: forming an AlN initial layer on a Si-based substrate; forming a buffer layer on the AlN initial layer; forming a channel layer on the buffer layer; forming a barrier layer on the channel layer; and forming a cap layer on the barrier layer, wherein a roughness Sa of a surface of the AlN initial layer on a side where the buffer layer is located is set at 4 nm or more and 8 nm or less.
22. A method for producing an electronic device, comprising: forming an AlN initial layer on a Si-based substrate; forming a buffer layer on the AlN initial layer; forming a channel layer on the buffer layer; forming a barrier layer on the channel layer; forming a cap layer on the barrier layer; and forming electrodes on the cap layer, wherein a roughness Sa of a surface of the AlN initial layer on a side where the buffer layer is located is set at 4 nm or more and 8 nm or less.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
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BEST MODS FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0044] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail as an example of an embodiment with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0045] As described earlier, the present inventors conducted a study of the electrical characteristics of an epitaxial wafer with a GaN film formed on a Si substrate by epitaxial growth. In the study, the present inventors arbitrarily selected wafers with poor longitudinal leakage current characteristics and wafers with good leakage current characteristics, divided each wafer into two parts, and evaluated the longitudinal leakage current characteristics of one of the halved parts of each wafer and conducted a failure analysis (observation of the cross-section) of the other.
[0046] The failure analysis was conducted as follows: the epitaxial wafer was cleaved and the cross-section thereof was observed with the magnification of a SEM being set at 25 k in order to observe V pits in a buffer layer structure.
[0047] Here, V pits in the buffer layer structure will be explained. Each of layers constituting a buffer layer originally have to be stacked in parallel with a substrate. A “V pit” refers to a portion (a portion enclosed in an ellipse in
[0048] Arbitrary five spots which are not adjacent to one another (that is, five spots which are slightly apart from one another) of each wafer were observed to count the number of V pits in the buffer layer structure (refer to
[0049] Here,
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[0052] Therefore, it is necessary to suppress V pits in the buffer layer structure in order to improve the longitudinal leakage current characteristics.
[0053] Thus, the present inventors have intensively studied an epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, in which V pits in a buffer layer structure can be suppressed and longitudinal leakage current characteristics can be improved when an electronic device is fabricated therewith. As a result, the present inventors have found out that, when the roughness Sa of the surface of an AlN initial layer on the side where a buffer layer is located is 4 nm or more, it is possible to suppress V pits in a buffer layer structure which is formed on the AlN initial layer and improve longitudinal leakage current characteristics when an electronic device is fabricated therewith, thereby bringing the present invention to completion.
[0054] First, with reference to
[0055] An inventive epitaxial substrate 10 for electronic devices depicted in
[0056] The epitaxial substrate 10 for electronic devices of
[0057] The high-resistance layer 16 can be composed of, for example, a GaN layer containing C or Fe, the channel layer 17 can be composed of, for example, a GaN layer that contains less C or Fe than the high-resistance layer 16, the barrier layer 18 can be composed of, for example, an AlGaN layer, and the cap layer 19 can be composed of, for example, a GaN layer.
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[0059] The insertion layer 14d can be composed of an Al.sub.αGa.sub.1−αN (0≦α<1) layer, and the second multilayer film 15 can be composed of the Al.sub.xGa.sub.1−xN (0<x≦1) layers 14b and the Al.sub.yGa.sub.1−yN (0≦y<x) layers 14c which are alternately stacked.
[0060] By setting the roughness Sa of the surface of the AlN initial layer 13 on the side where the buffer layer 14 is located being set at 4 nm or more in the epitaxial substrate 10 for electronic devices, V pits can be suppressed in the structure of the buffer layer 14 formed on the AlN initial layer 13 and longitudinal leakage current characteristics can be improved when an electronic device is fabricated therewith.
[0061] In this case, in the epitaxial substrate 10 for electronic devices, it is preferable that roughness Sa of the surface of the AlN initial layer 13 is 8 nm or less.
[0062] As described above, when the roughness Sa of the surface of the AlN initial layer 13 on the side where the buffer layer 14 is located is 4 nm or more but 8 nm or less, it is possible to suppress surely V pits in the structure of the buffer layer 14 which is formed on the AlN initial layer 13.
[0063] In the epitaxial substrate 10 for electronic devices, it is preferable that the roughness Sa of the surface of the first layer 14a composed of Al.sub.zGa.sub.1−zN (0≦z<1), which is in contact with the AlN initial layer 13, on the side opposite to the AlN initial layer 13 is 0.6 nm or less.
[0064] As described above, when the roughness Sa of the surface of the first layer 14a on the side opposite to the AlN initial layer 13 is 0.6 nm or less, it is possible to improve effectively longitudinal leakage current characteristics when an electronic device is fabricated therewith.
[0065] In the epitaxial substrate 10 for electronic devices, it is preferable that the roughness Sa of the surface of the first multilayer film 15′, which is in contact with the first layer 14a, on the side opposite to the AlN initial layer 13 is 0.3 nm or less.
[0066] As described above, when the roughness Sa of the surface of the first multilayer film 15′ on the side opposite to the first layer 14a is 0.3 nm or less, it is possible to improve more effectively longitudinal leakage current characteristics when an electronic device is fabricated therewith.
[0067] Next, with reference to
[0068] An electronic device 11 of
[0069] Such an electronic device makes it possible to suppress V pits in the buffer layer structure which is formed on the AlN initial layer and improve longitudinal leakage current characteristics.
[0070] Next, with reference to
[0071] First, as depicted in
[0072] Here, the roughness Sa of the surface of the AlN initial layer 13 is set at 4 nm or more, preferably, 4 nm or more but 8 nm or less. Incidentally, in the case of roughening the surface of the AlN initial layer 13, the roughness of the surface can be adjusted by changing the growth temperature, the gas flow rate, or the group-III element/group-V element ratio.
[0073] Next, as depicted in
[0074] Specifically, as depicted in
[0075] At this time, since the roughness Sa of the surface of the AlN initial layer 13 on the side where the buffer layer 14 is located is made large as described above, the lateral growth of the first layer 14a which is formed on the AlN initial layer 13 is promoted and filling of holes in the surface of the AlN initial layer 13 by the first layer 14a is promoted, whereby the surface after the growth of the first layer 14a becomes flat (see
[0076] Next, as depicted in
[0077] Next, a barrier layer 18, for example, an AlGaN layer, and thereon a cap layer 19, for example, a GaN layer are formed by epitaxial growth with using MOVPE method, for example; in this way, the epitaxial substrate 10 for electronic devices depicted in
[0078] With the above-described method for producing an epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, it is possible to produce an epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, in which V pits in the buffer layer structure which is formed on the AlN initial layer are suppressed and longitudinal leakage current characteristics are improved when an electronic device is fabricated therewith.
[0079] Next, an example of an embodiment of an inventive method for producing an electronic device will be described.
[0080] The epitaxial substrate 10 for electronic devices of
[0081] With the above-described method for producing an electronic device, it is possible to produce an electronic device in which V pits in the buffer layer structure which is formed on the AlN initial layer are suppressed and longitudinal leakage current characteristics are improved.
EXAMPLES
[0082] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with Experimental Example, Example, and Comparative Example, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
Experimental Example
[0083] Epitaxial substrates 10 for electronic devices, each being the epitaxial substrate 10 depicted in
Example
[0084] On a silicon substrate having a thickness of about 1 mm, an AlN initial layer 13 was grown so as to have a thickness of 160 nm by MOVPE method. Here, the AlN initial layer was formed at a growth temperature of 1100° C. to 1200° C., for example, 1130° C., and the roughness Sa of the surface of the AlN initial layer 13 was set at 4.79 nm.
[0085] Next, a buffer layer 14 was grown. The buffer layer 14 was formed by stacking a first layer 14a composed of GaN and having a thickness of 300 nm and a first multilayer film 15′ and, further on the first multilayer film 15′, alternately stacking insertion layers 14d, each being composed of GaN and having a thickness of 300 nm, and second multilayer films 15. The first multilayer film 15′ and the second multilayer film 15 were each composed of AlN layers 14b having a thickness of 5 nm and GaN layers 14c having a thickness of 3 nm which were alternately stacked.
[0086] Next, a high carbon concentration layer (a high-resistance layer 16) composed of GaN and then a low carbon concentration layer (a channel layer 17) also composed of GaN were grown. Then, a barrier layer 18 composed of AlGaN and thereon a GaN layer (a cap layer 19) were grown, whereby the epitaxial substrate 10 for electronic devices of
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[0090] On this epitaxial substrate for electronic devices, electrodes were formed, whereby the electronic device 11 depicted in
Comparative Example
[0091] An epitaxial substrate 10 for electronic devices was produced in a manner similar to Example. However, the AlN initial layer 13 was formed at a growth temperature of 1240° C. and the roughness Sa of the surface of the AlN initial layer was set at 2.16 nm. The others were the same as those of Example.
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[0093] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited in any way by the embodiment thereof described above. The above embodiment is merely an example, and anything that has substantially the same structure as the technical idea recited in the claims of the present invention and that offers similar workings and benefits falls within the technical scope of the present invention. For example, the first multilayer film 15′ and the second multilayer film 15 each may be a single layer with a gradient in the Al composition. Moreover, the second multilayer film 15 or the insertion layer 14 may not be provided.