Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor Printing Without Etching or Regrowth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor device fabrication methods are limited by the need for complex and costly processes involving thin film deposition, etching, and regrowth, which restrict the development of new device architectures and increase the cost and time required for producing high-power, high-temperature, and radiation-resistant GaN semiconductor devices.
Innovation Solution
The gas-phase reactive additive manufacturing (GRAM) method, which involves depositing a molten metal onto a substrate in an enclosed chamber and reacting it with a gas phase species to form semiconductor materials, allowing for controlled, localized printing and the formation of single-crystal semiconductor materials with reduced dislocation density and eliminated etching and regrowth steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional methods (HVPE or MOCVD) are used to grow GaN semiconductor layers, then semiconductor material can be produced, but the process requires complicated pre-masking and etching steps that decrease throughput and increase cost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary pre-masking and etching steps from the conventional GaN growth process. By using a droplet-based deposition method that directly forms localized GaN regions, the patent removes these intermediate steps entirely, simplifying the process flow and increasing throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the GaN semiconductor structure into localized regions that can be directly formed by depositing molten metal droplets at specific positions on the substrate. This segmentation approach allows direct formation of discrete GaN regions without requiring mask-based patterning followed by etching.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional methods are used to form localized GaN areas, then patterned semiconductor regions can be created, but multiple etching and growth steps are required that increase cost and decrease throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary positioning and deposition of molten metal droplets at the exact locations where GaN regions are needed. By pre-positioning the metal precursor material before the actual GaN growth reaction, the method enables direct formation of localized regions in a single step rather than through multiple sequential etching and regrowth operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the patterning function and the material deposition function into a single operation. By controlling the placement and reaction of molten metal droplets, the method simultaneously achieves spatial patterning and semiconductor material formation, eliminating the need for separate masking and etching steps.
3Ease of manufacture
If thick GaN layers are grown using HVPE, then relatively quick and inexpensive production is achieved, but complicated pre-masking and etching steps are still required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the costly and time-consuming pre-masking and etching steps from the HVPE process. By using direct droplet deposition to define the GaN regions, the method eliminates these intermediate processing steps while maintaining the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of vapor-phase epitaxy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables the rapid production of complex geometries with higher crystallization rates and lower dislocation densities, reducing costs and increasing throughput by eliminating the need for multiple etching and growth steps, while producing high-quality single-crystal semiconductor materials suitable for high-power and optoelectronic applications.
Implementation Method 1
reacting the molten metal with a gas phase species in the enclosed chamber to form the semiconductor material
Implementation Method 2
a heated stage capable of heating a substrate to a temperature of at least 900° C.
Implementation Method 3
depositing a molten metal onto a substrate in an enclosed chamber to form a trace
Data Source
AI summary
A method for printing a semiconductor material includes depositing a molten metal onto a substrate in an enclosed chamber to form a trace having a maximum height of 15 micrometers and/or a maximum width of 25 micrometers to 10 millimeters and/or a thin film having a maximum height of 15 micrometers. The method further includes reacting the molten metal with a gas phase species in the enclosed chamber to form the semiconductor material. The depositing the molten metal includes depositing a metal composition including the molten metal and an etchant or depositing the etchant separate from the molten metal in the enclosed chamber.