US 11,721,549 B2
Large area group III nitride crystals and substrates, methods of making, and methods of use
Mark P. D'Evelyn, Vancouver, WA (US); Wenkan Jiang, Walnut, CA (US); Drew W. Cardwell, Camas, WA (US); and Dirk Ehrentraut, Camas, WA (US)
Assigned to SLT TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Los Angeles, CA (US)
Filed by SLT Technologies, Inc., Los Angeles, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/173,169.
Application 17/173,169 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/882,219, filed on May 22, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/006,700, filed on Apr. 7, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/975,078, filed on Feb. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0249266 A1, Aug. 12, 2021
Int. Cl. H01L 29/20 (2006.01); H01L 29/36 (2006.01); H01L 21/02 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/02647 (2013.01) [H01L 21/0243 (2013.01); H01L 21/0254 (2013.01); H01L 21/02389 (2013.01); H01L 21/02642 (2013.01); H01L 29/2003 (2013.01); H01L 29/36 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A free-standing group III metal nitride crystal, comprising:
a wurtzite crystal structure;
at least two domains, each of the at least two domains comprising a group III metal selected from gallium, aluminum, and indium, or combinations thereof, and nitrogen;
a first surface having a maximum dimension greater than 40 millimeters in a first direction, the first surface comprising a domain surface of each of the at least two domains, wherein the domain surface of each of the at least two domains has a dimension of at least 10 millimeters in the first direction;
an average concentration of stacking faults below 103 cm−1; and
an average concentration of threading dislocations between 101 cm−2 and 106 cm−2, wherein
the average concentration of threading dislocations on the domain surface of each of the at least two domains varies periodically by at least a factor of two in the first direction, the period of the variation in the first direction being between 5 micrometers and 20 millimeters,
the domain surface of each of the at least two domains comprises a plurality of first regions, each of the plurality of first regions having a locally-approximately-linear array of threading dislocations with a concentration between 5 cm−1 and 105 cm−1,
the domain surface of each of the at least two domains further comprises a plurality of second regions, each of the plurality of second regions being disposed between an adjacent pair of the plurality of first regions and having a concentration of threading dislocations below 105 cm−2 and a concentration of stacking faults below 103 cm−1,
the domain surface of each of the at least two domains further comprises a plurality of third regions, each of the plurality of third regions being disposed within one of the plurality of second regions or between an adjacent pair of second regions and having a minimum dimension between 10 micrometers and 500 micrometers and threading dislocations with a concentration between 103 cm−2 and 108 cm−2,
the free-standing group III metal nitride crystal has a crystallographic miscut that varies by 0.5 degrees or less along the first direction and by 0.5 degree or less along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction over a central 80% of an area of the first surface of the free-standing group III metal nitride crystal, and
the at least two domains are separated by a line of dislocations with a linear density between 50 cm−1 and 5×105 cm−1, and a polar misorientation angle γ between a first domain and a second domain is greater than 0.005 degrees and less than 0.3 degrees and misorientation angles α and β are greater than 0.01 degrees and less than 1 degree.