Hole activation method of p-type nitride

Abstract

The invention provides a hole activation method of p-type nitride, which comprises the following steps: heating an object to be activated to an annealing temperature for annealing by using heating equipment, the object to be activated comprising the p-type nitride or an epitaxial wafer comprising the p-type nitride; and in the annealing process, applying an electric field to the to-be-activated object by applying voltage, and controlling positively charged H ions in the to-be-activated object to move out of a p-type layer of the to-be-activated object in an accelerated manner. According to the method, an electric field is added in the annealing process to accelerate movement of H elements in a p-type layer and escape from an epitaxial wafer, so that the hole concentration of p-type nitride is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and more specifically to a hole activation method for p-type nitrides. Background Technology

[0002] During nitride growth, Mg needs to be incorporated to achieve the p-type configuration. However, along with Mg incorporation, H atoms also incorporate, forming Mg-H bonds. These Mg-H bonds passivate Mg atoms, preventing hole activation at room temperature and resulting in poor conductivity in p-type nitrides. Therefore, a common approach is to open the Mg-H bonds by increasing the temperature, which can improve the hole concentration and conductivity of p-type nitrides. However, if H ions do not leave the p-type layer, they will still form Mg-H bonds with Mg after cooling. Consequently, this activation method results in a low hole concentration in the p-type nitride, reducing device efficiency and lifespan. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a hole activation method for p-type nitrides, which at least partially solves the above technical problems.

[0004] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a hole activation method for p-type nitrides is provided, comprising: annealing the object to be activated by heating it to an annealing temperature using a heating device, wherein the object to be activated includes a p-type nitride or an epitaxial wafer containing a p-type nitride; during the annealing process, applying an electric field to the object to be activated by applying a voltage, thereby controlling the positively charged H ions in the object to be activated to accelerate their movement out of the p-type layer of the object to be activated.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the annealing temperature range is 500℃~1000℃.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the voltage range is 1V to 1000V.

[0007] According to embodiments of the present invention, the annealing atmosphere comprises nitrogen, oxygen, or a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the annealing time is 5 minutes to 1 hour.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, annealing an object to be activated by heating it to an annealing temperature using a heating device includes: placing the object to be activated inside a closed annealing furnace and heating the object to be activated to the annealing temperature using annealing; or placing the object to be activated on an open heating device and heating the object to be activated to the annealing temperature using the heating device.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, during the annealing process, applying an electric field to the object to be activated by applying voltage includes: placing the electric field applying device inside a closed annealing furnace, placing the object to be activated between the positive and negative electrodes of the electric field applying device with the p-type layer facing the negative electrode; or, placing a heating device carrying the object to be activated between the positive and negative electrodes of the electric field applying device with the p-type layer facing the negative electrode.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the object to be activated ranges from 10 nm to 100 μm.

[0012] The hole activation method for p-type nitrides provided by this invention has at least the following technical effects:

[0013] By heating to open the Mg-H bonds and adding an electric field during annealing, positively charged H ions are accelerated to move out of the p-type layer, thereby activating more holes, increasing the hole concentration of p-type nitrides, and improving the performance of nitride devices. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The above-described features, other objects, and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a hole activation method for p-type nitrides according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically.

[0016] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an apparatus for hole activation of p-type nitrides according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an apparatus for hole activation of p-type nitrides according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that these descriptions are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention for ease of explanation. However, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Furthermore, descriptions of well-known structures and techniques are omitted in the following description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concept of the invention.

[0019] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The terms “comprising,” “including,” etc., as used herein indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, or components.

[0020] All terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art, unless otherwise defined. It should be noted that the terms used herein are to be interpreted in a manner consistent with the context of this specification, and not in an idealized or overly rigid way.

[0021] When using expressions such as "at least one of A, B and C", they should generally be interpreted in accordance with the meaning that is commonly understood by those skilled in the art (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B and C" should include, but is not limited to, a system having A alone, a system having B alone, a system having C alone, a system having A and B, a system having A and C, a system having B and C, and / or a system having A, B and C, etc.).

[0022] In the process of developing this invention, it was discovered that a common hole activation method involves heating to open Mg-H bonds. However, if the H ions that have opened the Mg-H bonds do not leave the p-type layer, they will still form Mg-H bonds with Mg after cooling. This results in insufficient activated holes even with a high Mg doping concentration, reducing device efficiency. Traditional annealing methods simply use heating to open Mg-H bonds, but H ions require more energy to move in the p-type layer. Further heating can lead to a deterioration in crystal quality.

[0023] In view of this, the present invention provides a hole activation method for p-type nitrides, which opens Mg-H bonds by heating and applies an electric field to accelerate the movement of positively charged H ions out of the p-type layer, thereby activating more holes, increasing the hole concentration of p-type nitrides, and improving the performance of nitride devices.

[0024] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a hole activation method for p-type nitrides according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, the hole activation method for p-type nitrides may include operations S110 to S120.

[0026] In operation S110, the object to be activated is heated to the annealing temperature using a heating device for annealing.

[0027] During operation S120, in the annealing process, an electric field is applied to the object to be activated by applying voltage, thereby controlling the positively charged H ions in the object to be activated to move out of the p-type layer of the object to be activated at an accelerated speed.

[0028] In embodiments of the present invention, the object to be activated may include a p-type nitride or an epitaxial wafer containing a p-type nitride. The p-type nitride may be obtained by deposition, and the deposition method may include magnetron sputtering, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), etc.

[0029] In one possible implementation of this invention, the annealing temperature range can be 500℃ to 1000℃, for example, heating the p-type nitride to 600℃. The specific annealing temperature is set according to the actual scenario, and this invention does not impose any limitations.

[0030] In one possible implementation of this invention, the voltage required to apply the electric field can range from 1V to 1000V. For example, the voltage value can be set to 10V to heat the p-type nitride. The specific voltage value is set according to the actual scenario, and this invention does not impose any limitations.

[0031] In one possible implementation of this invention, the annealing atmosphere may include nitrogen or oxygen, and the specific atmosphere can be selected according to the actual scenario. This invention does not impose any restrictions.

[0032] In one possible implementation of this invention, the annealing time can range from 5 minutes to 1 hour; for example, the annealing time can be set to 10 minutes. The specific annealing time is set according to the actual scenario, and this invention does not impose any limitations. However, excessively long annealing times can affect crystal quality and reduce the conductivity of p-type nitrides.

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an apparatus for hole activation of p-type nitrides according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0034] In another possible implementation of the embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 2 As shown, annealing the object to be activated by heating it to the annealing temperature using a heating device may include:

[0035] The object to be activated is placed inside a closed annealing furnace, and the object is heated to the annealing temperature by annealing.

[0036] During the annealing process, applying an electric field to the object to be activated by applying a voltage can include:

[0037] The electric field application device is placed inside a closed annealing furnace, and the object to be activated is placed between the positive and negative electrodes of the electric field application device with the p-type layer facing the negative electrode.

[0038] Figure 3A schematic diagram of an apparatus for hole activation of p-type nitrides according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0039] In another possible implementation of the embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, annealing the object to be activated by heating it to the annealing temperature using a heating device may include:

[0040] The object to be activated is placed on an open heating device, and the heating device is used to heat the object to the annealing temperature.

[0041] During the annealing process, applying an electric field to the object to be activated by applying a voltage can include:

[0042] The heating device carrying the object to be activated is placed between the positive and negative electrodes of the electric field application device, with the p-type layer facing the negative electrode.

[0043] After the preset voltage application time, stop applying the voltage and allow the temperature to drop to room temperature.

[0044] Based on the above embodiments, the thickness range of the object to be activated is 10nm~100μm.

[0045] According to the hole activation method of p-type nitrides of the present invention, an electric field is added during the annealing process to accelerate the movement of H elements in the p-type layer and their escape from the epitaxial wafer, thereby increasing the hole concentration of p-type nitrides.

[0046] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems and methods according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutively indicated blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in a block diagram or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in a block diagram or flowchart, may be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0047] Those skilled in the art will understand that the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of the present invention can be combined or combined in various ways, even if such combinations or combinations are not explicitly described in the present invention. In particular, the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of the present invention can be combined or combined in various ways without departing from the spirit and teachings of the present invention. All such combinations and / or combinations fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0048] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, these embodiments are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Although various embodiments have been described above, this does not mean that the measures in the various embodiments cannot be used advantageously in combination. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Various substitutions and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, and all such substitutions and modifications should fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for hole activation of p-type nitrides, characterized in that, include: The object to be activated is heated to the annealing temperature using a heating device and then annealed. The object to be activated includes p-type nitrides or epitaxial wafers containing p-type nitrides. During the annealing process, an electric field is applied to the object to be activated by applying voltage, thereby controlling the positively charged H ions in the object to be activated to move out of the p-type layer of the object to be activated at an accelerated speed.

2. The hole activation method for p-type nitrides according to claim 1, characterized in that, The annealing temperature range is 500℃~1000℃.

3. The hole activation method for p-type nitrides according to claim 1, characterized in that, The voltage range is 1V to 1000V.

4. The hole activation method for p-type nitrides according to claim 1, characterized in that, The annealing atmosphere is nitrogen or oxygen, or a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen.

5. The hole activation method for p-type nitrides according to claim 1, characterized in that, Annealing time is 5 minutes to 1 hour.

6. The hole activation method for p-type nitrides according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of annealing the object to be activated by heating it to the annealing temperature using a heating device includes: The object to be activated is placed inside a closed annealing furnace, and the object to be activated is heated to the annealing temperature by the annealing process. Alternatively, the object to be activated can be placed on an open heating device, which can be used to heat the object to the annealing temperature.

7. The hole activation method for p-type nitrides according to claim 6, characterized in that, During the annealing process, an electric field is applied to the object to be activated by applying voltage, including: The electric field application device is placed inside the closed annealing furnace, and the object to be activated is placed between the positive and negative electrodes of the electric field application device with the p-type layer facing the negative electrode. Alternatively, the heating device carrying the object to be activated can be placed between the positive and negative electrodes of the electric field applying device, with the p-type layer facing the negative electrode.

8. The hole activation method for p-type nitrides according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the object to be activated ranges from 10 nm to 100 μm.

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