US 11,715,635 B2
Removing or preventing dry etch-induced damage in Al/In/GaN films by photoelectrochemical etching
Morteza Monavarian, Albuquerque, NM (US); Daniel Feezell, Albuquerque, NM (US); Andrew Aragon, Albuquerque, NM (US); Saadat Mishkat-Ul-Masabih, Albuquerque, NM (US); Andrew Allerman, Tijeras, NM (US); Andrew Armstrong, Albuquerque, NM (US); and Mary Crawford, Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed by UNM RAINFOREST INNOVATIONS, Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed on Nov. 12, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/525,516.
Application 17/525,516 is a division of application No. 16/684,313, filed on Nov. 14, 2019, granted, now 11,177,126.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/767,575, filed on Nov. 15, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0068632 A1, Mar. 3, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01L 21/3065 (2006.01); H01L 21/306 (2006.01); H01L 21/02 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/02057 (2013.01) [H01L 21/0254 (2013.01); H01L 21/02389 (2013.01); H01L 21/02433 (2013.01); H01L 21/3065 (2013.01); H01L 21/30612 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for removing dry-etch damage from a substrate surface, the method comprising:
providing a substrate comprising an n-type Al/In/GaN semiconductor material;
dry-etching a surface of the substrate to form a dry etched surface comprising sidewalls and causing dry-etch damage to remain on the dry etched surface;
immersing the dry etched surface of the substrate in an electrolyte solution; and
illuminating the dry etched surface with above bandgap light having a wavelength that generates electron-hole pairs in the n-type Al/In/GaN semiconductor material, thereby photoelectrochemically (PEC) etching the dry etched surface to remove at least a portion of the dry-etch damage and form a PEC etched surface.