US 12,331,426 B2
Substrates for III-nitride epitaxy
Victor Sizov, Dresden (DE); Karl-Heinz Stegemann, Dresden (DE); Ronny Mueller-Biedermann, Dresden (DE); and Thomas Lindner, Dresden (DE)
Assigned to X-FAB SEMICONDUCTOR FOUNDRIES GMBH, Erfurt (DE)
Filed by Victor Sizov, Dresden (DE); Karl-Heinz Stegemann, Dresden (DE); Ronny Mueller-Biedermann, Dresden (DE); and Thomas Lindner, Dresden (DE)
Filed on Aug. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/411,851.
Application 17/411,851 is a division of application No. 16/448,178, filed on Jun. 21, 2019, abandoned.
Claims priority of application No. 1810251 (GB), filed on Jun. 22, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0381126 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. C30B 25/18 (2006.01); C30B 29/40 (2006.01); H01L 21/02 (2006.01)
CPC C30B 25/186 (2013.01) [C30B 25/183 (2013.01); C30B 29/406 (2013.01); H01L 21/02323 (2013.01); H01L 21/02381 (2013.01); H01L 21/02458 (2013.01); H01L 21/0254 (2013.01); H01L 21/0262 (2013.01); H01L 21/02639 (2013.01); H01L 21/02645 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of preparing a wafer suitable for epitaxial growth of gallium nitride in a Metal Oxide Chemical vapor Deposition (MOCVD) process, said method comprising:
providing a silicon substrate having a front side and a back side and an edge extending between said front side and said back side, said edge comprising a front bevel surface connected to said front side and a back bevel surface connected to said back side;
forming a protection layer covering said front bevel surface and said back bevel surface of said edge, while leaving at least a central region of said front side of said silicon substrate exposed, wherein said forming comprises:
performing a first oxidation and annealing of said silicon substrate to form a first oxide layer and to generate an oxygen denuded silicon layer surrounding a core in said silicon substrate, wherein said annealing comprises annealing at a temperature of 800 to 1,200° C. for a period of time such that said oxygen denuded silicon layer has a thickness in the range of 10 μm to 30 μm;
after said first oxidation and annealing, reducing the temperature to between 600° C. and 800° C. to form precipitation seeds in said core of said silicon substrate;
forming a silicon nitride mask on said first oxide layer, wherein said silicon nitride mask covers said central region and does not cover said front bevel surface;
after said reducing the temperature, performing a second oxidation of said silicon substrate to form a second oxide layer being said protection layer and to grow said precipitation seeds by increasing the temperature, wherein said second oxide layer is grown on said silicon substrate in regions not covered by said silicon nitride mask;
removing said silicon nitride mask from said first oxide layer in said central region; and
performing an oxide etch to remove said first oxide layer from said central region.