Dry Etching of GaN/InGaN Multiquantum Wells Using Inductively Coupled Cl[sub 2]/CH[sub 4]/H[sub 2]/Ar Plasma

Lee, Ji-Myon; Kim, Sang Woo; Park, Seong-Ju

doi:10.1149/1.1360191

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The N 2 -plasma treatment at 30 W of rf power (dc bias of −1 V) on the etched LEDs was performed in the PECVD via a load-lock chamber immediately after the etching process, thus ensuring that the samples were not exposed to air. A detailed description of the etching conditions and the N 2 -plasma treatment can also be found in our earlier papers [7,10]. A PL measurement using a He-Cd laser (325 nm) as an excitation source at 10 K was performed in order to investigate the optical properties of the etched film, in which a helium-closed cryostat was used to maintain the sample temperature.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dry-etch damage and its recovery in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum-well light-emitting diodes

Lee

Huh

Kim

et al. 2003

Semicond. Sci. Technol.

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Etch-induced damage in GaN/InGaN multi-quantum well light-emitting diodes (LEDs) caused by a Cl 2 -base plasma and its recovery by means of a N 2 -plasma and annealing process of n-GaN is described. The photoluminescence intensity of etched n-type GaN was decreased by several orders of magnitude due to etch-induced damage, giving rise to an increase in the leakage current in LED current-voltage curves. However, treatment of the LEDs with a N 2 plasma along with a rapid thermal annealing process led to an enhancement in the I -V characteristics of the LEDs due to the suppression of the leakage current. The electroluminescence intensity of LEDs which was etched at dc bias of −200 V was also improved by a factor of two relative to the as-etched LEDs, as a result of this treatment.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dry-etch damage and its recovery in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum-well light-emitting diodes

Lee

Huh

Kim

et al. 2003

Semicond. Sci. Technol.

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“…During the last decade, a variety of etching methods for the reliable pattern transfer of GaN have been reported, and a dry etching method has proven to be effective for the fabrication of light emitting diodes (LED) and laser diodes [1][2][3]. However, energetic ion bombardment-induced damage, which accompanies the dry etch process can lead to the deterioration of the optical and electrical properties of the semiconductors [4][5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Doping level-dependent dry-etch damage in n-type GaN

2006

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The electrical effects of dry-etch on n-type GaN by an inductively coupled Cl 2 /CH 4 /H 2 /Ar plasma were investigated as a function of ion energy, by means of ohmic and Schottky metallization methods. The specific contact resistivity (ρ c ) of the ohmic contact was decreased, while the leakage current in the Schottky diode was increased with increasing ion energy due to the preferential sputtering of nitrogen. At a higher rf power, an additional effect of damage was found on the etched sample, which was sensitive to dopant concentration in terms of the ρ c of the ohmic contact. This can be attributed to effects such as the formation of deep acceptors as well as the electron-enriched surface layer within the depletion layer. Furthermore, the thermal annealing process enhanced the ohmic and Schottky properties of the heavily damaged surface.

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“…Most methods of GaN etching involve dry etching processes such as reactive ion etching or inductively coupled plasma etching. [1][2][3] While dry etching has favorable characteristics, including a high etching rate and the ability to yield vertical sidewalls, it also has several disadvantages, including the damage caused by ion bombardment and the difficulty of obtaining smoothly etched sidewalls. Furthermore, tunnel structures buried in semiconductors cannot be realized by dry etching or photoenhanced electrochemical ͑PEC͒ techniques.…”

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confidence: 99%

Triangular Extended Microtunnels in GaN Prepared by Selective Crystallographic Wet Chemical Etching

Huang

Zeng

et al. 2008

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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Extended microtunnels with triangular cross sections in thick GaN films were demonstrated using wet chemical etching on specially designed epitaxial lateral overgrowth structures. For tunnels along the ͗1100͘ and ͗1120͘ directions of GaN, the ͕1122͖ and ͕1011͖ facets are the etch stop planes with activation energies of 23 kcal/mol determined by wet chemical etching. The axial etching rate of the tunnels in the ͗1100͘ direction is twice as large than that along the ͗1120͘ direction. The highest etching rate of the tunnels in the axial direction is 1000 m/h. GaN and its alloys are widely employed on optoelectronic devices, such as light-emitting diodes ͑LEDs͒ and laser diodes ͑LDs͒, because they have a wide direct bandgap, high thermal stability, and unusual chemical stability. However, their excellent chemical stability also makes wet chemical etching difficult. Most methods of GaN etching involve dry etching processes such as reactive ion etching or inductively coupled plasma etching. 1-3 While dry etching has favorable characteristics, including a high etching rate and the ability to yield vertical sidewalls, it also has several disadvantages, including the damage caused by ion bombardment and the difficulty of obtaining smoothly etched sidewalls. Furthermore, tunnel structures buried in semiconductors cannot be realized by dry etching or photoenhanced electrochemical ͑PEC͒ techniques. Numerous research groups demonstrated PEC etching techniques, 4-16 but in most cases the etched surfaces of GaN were roughened.In this article, extended microtunnels ͑EMTs͒ in GaN were prepared by wet chemical etching with an average etching rate of more than 15 m/min. The etch stop facets of GaN EMTs are the ͕1122͖ or ͕1011͖ crystal planes, depending on the direction of the designed patterns of epitaxial lateral overgrowth ͑ELOG͒ directions. Several groups have tried to grow semipolar LEDs or LDs on ͕1122͖, ͕1011͖, and ͕1011͖ GaN crystal facets, which could result in higherpower or lower-threshold devices due to the reduced internal piezoelectric polarization field, 17-24 but the properties of these facets are still not clearly understood to this date. GaN EMTs are demonstrated in this report to further understand the etching properties of these facets. These microtunnels offer a channel for microfluid studies, especially in the applications of microelectromechanical systems. 25 All of the samples herein consist of several tens of micrometers of GaN thickness grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy ͑HVPE͒ on sapphire substrates. In the first growth process, a 4 m thick GaN template was grown by metallorganic chemical vapor deposition on a ͑0001͒ c-plane sapphire substrate. The second growth process was the deposition of a 300 nm thick SiO 2 layer by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Then, standard photolithography was performed to fabricate the stripes of a 5 m wide SiO 2 mask separated by 5 m wide windows in the ͗1100͘ and ͗1120͘ directions of GaN. Subsequently, the GaN layer with the patterned SiO 2 mask was used as an EL...

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Dry Etching of GaN/InGaN Multiquantum Wells Using Inductively Coupled Cl[sub 2]/CH[sub 4]/H[sub 2]/Ar Plasma

Cited by 10 publications

References 28 publications

Dry-etch damage and its recovery in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum-well light-emitting diodes

Dry-etch damage and its recovery in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum-well light-emitting diodes

Doping level-dependent dry-etch damage in n-type GaN

Triangular Extended Microtunnels in GaN Prepared by Selective Crystallographic Wet Chemical Etching

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