This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-017409, filed Feb. 1, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a composite substrate, a semiconductor device, and a method for manufacturing thereof.
A material having a wide band-gap, for example, gallium nitride (GaN) is used to form a light emitting diode (LED), a power device, and the like. A compound semiconductor layer containing gallium nitride is provided on, for example, a silicon substrate. In this case, if crystal defects are generated in the compound semiconductor layer due to a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the compound semiconductor layer and the silicon substrate, a crack or warping is likely to occur. As a result, there is a concern about a decrease in luminance or an increase in on resistance of the LED.
In this regard, a method to deal with the above issue is proposed. In this method, a thin single crystal silicon layer is bonded onto a polycrystalline substrate having a coefficient of thermal expansion which is approximate to that of gallium nitride rather than that of silicon, and a gallium nitride layer is provided on the single crystal silicon layer. According to this method, stress applied on the compound semiconductor layer is reduced, and thus the crack or the warping is less likely to occur.
However, when it comes to forming the compound semiconductor layer by bonding together a single crystal layer and a polycrystalline substrate, there is another issue as described below. For example, the polycrystalline substrate typically includes a ceramic sintered body, and thus it is not easy to perform a process of flattening its surface. For this reason, voids are generated at the time of bonding and thus the bonding is not sufficiently performed, which may cause manufacturing defects of the compound semiconductor layer.
In addition, typically, the polycrystalline substrate and the single crystal layer are bonded to each other using an intervening bonding layer, and thus the quality of the single crystal silicon layer is damaged depending on the material of the bonding layer, which also may cause manufacturing defects of the compound semiconductor layer.
One embodiment provides a composite substrate on which a compound semiconductor layer for a semiconductor device can be deposited or otherwise formed, a semiconductor device, and a method for manufacturing thereof which are capable of decreasing manufacturing defects of a compound semiconductor layer.
In general, according to one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first single crystal layer, a polycrystalline layer provided on an entire surface of the first single crystal layer, and a second single crystal layer bonded to the polycrystalline layer. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the polycrystalline layer is greater than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the second single crystal layer, and is smaller than a coefficient of thermal expansion of a compound semiconductor layer being provided on the second single crystal layer using and intervening buffer layer.
Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments.
The first single crystal layer 11 includes a single crystal silicon or a single crystal sapphire. The entire surface of the first single crystal layer 11 is covered with the polycrystalline layer 12.
The coefficient of thermal expansion of the polycrystalline layer 12 is greater than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the second single crystal layer 14, and is smaller than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the compound semiconductor layer 50. In addition, the elastic modulus of the polycrystalline layer 12 is greater than the elastic modulus of the second single crystal layer 14.
Specifically, the polycrystalline layer 12 includes silicon carbide (SiC), aluminum nitride (AlN), or aluminum oxide (Al2O3).
In order to prevent the occurrence of warping of the first single crystal layer 11, the thickness of the polycrystalline layer 12 is preferably equal to or greater than 10 m. In addition, it is preferable that a thickness t1 of the polycrystalline layer 12 which covers an upper surface 11a is equal to a thickness t2 of the polycrystalline layer 12 which covers a lower surface 11b such that a residual stress of the polycrystalline layer 12 on the upper surface 11a of the first single crystal layer 11 is symmetrical to a residual stress of the polycrystalline layer 12 on the lower surface 11b of the first single crystal layer 11. Here, the expression that the thickness t1 and the thickness t2 equal to each other includes not only that the thickness t1 and the thickness t2 are equal to each other, but also that a difference therebetween is within a range in which the aforementioned residual stresses are symmetrical to each other.
In addition, in the first embodiment, each of the thickness t1 and the thickness t2 is smaller than a thickness t3 of the first single crystal layer 11. However, each of the thickness t1 and the thickness t2 may be equal to or greater than the thickness t3.
The bonding layer 13 is provided between the polycrystalline layer 12 and the second single crystal layer 14. The bonding layer 13 includes, for example, a silicon compound, polycrystalline silicon, or amorphous silicon. Examples of the silicon compound include silicon oxide (SiO2), silicon oxynitride (SiON), silicon oxycarbonitride (SiOC), and silicon nitride (SiN), and the like. Particularly, if a material of the bonding layer 13 is polycrystalline silicon or amorphous silicon, the material is easily flattened by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). For this reason, it is possible to improve the flatness of the bonding layer 13.
The second single crystal layer 14 is a seed layer for allowing the compound semiconductor layer 50 to be epitaxially grown thereon. The second single crystal layer 14 includes a single crystal silicon, a single crystal sapphire, a single crystal silicon carbide, or a single crystal gallium nitride. Particularly, if a material of the second single crystal layer 14 is single crystal silicon, it is preferable that the plane orientation of the single crystal silicon is (111). With this, it is possible to form a compound semiconductor layer 50 thereon having fewer crystal defects.
Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 according to the above-described exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to
First, as illustrated in
Typically, in a polycrystalline silicon carbide formed using the CVD method, the crystalline structure thereof changes due to a temperature or other conditions of film formation, and thus a stress is generated in some cases. However, if the polycrystalline silicon carbide is formed on both surfaces of the single crystal silicon, it is possible to minimize the occurrence of the warping of polycrystalline silicon carbide. Therefore, it is preferable that the polycrystalline silicon carbide is formed on both surfaces of the single crystal silicon at the same time. In other words, it is preferable that the polycrystalline layer 12 is formed on the upper surface 11a of the first single crystal layer 11 and on the lower surface 11b of the first single crystal layer 11 at the same time.
In addition, in order to improve the flatness of the polycrystalline layer 12, it is preferable that the surface of the polycrystalline layer 12 is in a mirror state. Specifically, it is preferable that the surface of the polycrystalline layer 12 is polished such that the surface roughness thereof is equal to or less than 0.1 μm.
Next, as illustrated in
Next, hydrogen ions are implanted into a single crystal silicon substrate 40. As a result, as illustrated in
Subsequently, as illustrated in
Further, a structure as illustrated in
At last, returning to
If the semiconductor device 1 is a field effect transistor, the compound semiconductor layer 50 is a stacked body which includes a gallium nitride (GaN) layer and an aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) layer having a wider band gap than that of the gallium nitride (GaN) layer. In addition, if the semiconductor device 1 is an LED, the compound semiconductor layer 50 is a stacked body which includes the gallium nitride (GaN) layer and a light emitting layer.
Meanwhile, in a step illustrated in
In addition, if polysilicon or amorphous silicon is used for the bonding layer 13, in a step illustrated in
According to the semiconductor device 1 in the first embodiment described above, the polycrystalline layer 12 is provided on the entire surface of the first single crystal layer 11, and the polycrystalline layer 12 and the second single crystal layer 14 are bonded to each other by the bonding layer 13. In other words, in the first embodiment, the second single crystal layer 14 for forming the compound semiconductor layer 50 is not bonded to a sintered substrate which is not easily processed, but bonded to the film-shaped polycrystalline layer 12 which easily obtains the desired flatness. For this reason, when the polycrystalline layer 12 and the second single crystal layer 14 are bonded to each other, voids are hardly generated, and thus it is possible to decrease manufacturing defects of the compound semiconductor layer 50 which is formed on the second single crystal layer 14.
The second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the description will focus on differences from the first embodiment as described above. In the second embodiment, the method for manufacturing the composite substrate 10 is different from that of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the method for manufacturing the composite substrate according to the second embodiment will be described.
In the second embodiment,
After forming the second single crystal layer 14 as described above, similar to the first embodiment, the buffer layer 30 is formed on the second single crystal layer 14, and the compound semiconductor layer 50 is epitaxially grown and is formed on the buffer layer 30.
According to the second embodiment as described above, a step of implanting ions is not necessary when forming the second single crystal layer 14. Thus, as compared with the first embodiment, it is possible to simplify the manufacturing process, thereby reducing manufacturing cost.
The coefficient of thermal expansion of the polycrystalline layer 21 is greater than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the single crystal layer 23, and is smaller than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the compound semiconductor layer 50. Specifically, the polycrystalline layer 21 includes silicon carbide or aluminum nitride.
If a material of the polycrystalline layer 21 is silicon carbide, the polycrystalline layer 21 is manufactured by using a polycrystalline silicon carbide wafer. A method for manufacturing the polycrystalline silicon carbide wafer may be a high temperature sintering method, or the CVD method.
On the other hand, if the material of the polycrystalline layer 21 is aluminum nitride, the aluminum forms the impurity level in silicon, and thus it is not preferable that exposed aluminum is used in the semiconductor process. Here, when the polycrystalline layer 21 is manufactured, it is preferable that the entire aluminum nitride substrate is covered with silicon nitride or silicon oxide, or both of them.
The bonding layer 22 is provided between the polycrystalline layer 21 and the single crystal layer 23. A chemical element of the bonding layer 22 is the same as a chemical element of the single crystal layer 23. If the single crystal layer 23 includes single crystal silicon, the bonding layer 22 includes polycrystalline silicon.
The single crystal layer 23 is a seed layer for allowing the compound semiconductor layer 50 to be epitaxially grown. If the single crystal layer 23 includes single crystal silicon, it is preferable that the plane orientation is (111). With this, it is possible to form the compound semiconductor layer 50 having less crystal defects.
As described in the first embodiment, the single crystal layer 23 can be formed by separating the single crystal silicon substrate at a high temperature after the single crystal silicon layer into which ions are implanted is bonded to the bonding layer 22. In addition, as described in the second embodiment, the single crystal layer 23 can be formed by thinning the single crystal silicon substrate after the single crystal silicon substrate into which ions are not implanted is bonded to the bonding layer 22.
After the single crystal layer 23 is formed as described above, similar to the above-described first embodiment, the buffer layer 30 is formed on the second single crystal layer 14, and the compound semiconductor layer 50 is epitaxially grown thereon.
In the third embodiment as described above, if the chemical element of the bonding layer 22 is different from the chemical element of the single crystal layer 23, strain may occur on the single crystal layer 23 when bonding the bonding layer 22 to the single crystal layer 23. In this case, this strain is likely to cause manufacturing defects of the compound semiconductor layer 50 which is formed on the single crystal layer 23.
However, in the third embodiment, the chemical element of the bonding layer 22 is the same as the chemical element of the single crystal layer 23. Therefore, the aforementioned strain is less likely to occur on the single crystal layer 23. Accordingly, it is possible to decrease the manufacturing defects of the compound semiconductor layer 50 which is formed on the single crystal layer 23.
If the single crystal layer 23 is single crystal silicon, and the bonding layer 22 is polycrystalline silicon, other chemical elements other than are not present between the single crystal layer 23 and the bonding layer 22.
The fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the description will note differences in the embodiment compared to the above-described first to third embodiments.
As illustrated in
The porous layer 24 which is formed on the single crystal silicon substrate 40 is bonded to the bonding layer 22. Thereafter, by separating the single crystal silicon substrate 40 at a high temperature, the single crystal layer 23 is formed on the porous layer 24.
Meanwhile, the porous layer 24 may be formed on the single crystal silicon substrate 40 on which the ion implanted region 40a is not provided. In this case, the single crystal silicon substrate 40 is thinned by being polished, and thereby the single crystal layer 23 is formed.
After the single crystal layer 23 is formed as described above, similar to the above-described first embodiment, the buffer layer 30 is formed on the second single crystal layer 14, and the compound semiconductor layer 50 is epitaxially grown, and is formed on the buffer layer 30.
The compound semiconductor layer 50 is divided into individual devices through reactive ion etching (RIE) or wet etching. If the device is a field effect transistor, for example, a drain electrode 51, a gate electrode 52, and a source electrode 53 are formed on the compound semiconductor layer 50 as illustrated in
Further, the surface of the compound semiconductor layer 50 and the surface of each of electrodes 51 to 53 are covered with the surface protective layer 60 as illustrated in
In the fourth embodiment as described above, the porous layer 24 is provided between the bonding layer 22 and the single crystal layer 23, and the polycrystalline layer 21 is separated from the device such as the field effect transistor at the porous layer 24. With this configuration, the polycrystalline layer 21 can be reused, and thus it is possible to obtain excellent effects in terms of economic and environmental aspects.
The fifth embodiment will be described. In the fifth embodiment, the description will focus on differences from the above-described first to fourth embodiments.
Similar to the fourth embodiment, the compound semiconductor layer 50 is divided into individual devices by RIE or wet etching. If the device is a field effect transistor, for example, the drain electrode 51, the gate electrode 52, and the source electrode 53 are formed on the compound semiconductor layer 50 as illustrated in
Further, the surface of the compound semiconductor layer 50 and the surface of each of electrodes 51 to 53 are covered with the surface protective layer 60 as illustrated in
In the fifth embodiment as described above, the through hole 21a is provided in the polycrystalline layer 21, and a dissolving liquid for the bonding layer 22 flows into the bonding layer 22 via the through hole 21a. With this configuration, it is easily possible to dissolve the bonding layer 22. Further, the polycrystalline layer 21 can be reused after dissolving the bonding layer 22, and thus it is possible to obtain excellent effects in terms of economic and environmental aspects.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2016-017409 | Feb 2016 | JP | national |