Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-jbqgn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-26T04:00:25.703Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Oxidation of Aluminum Nitride for Defect Characterization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

James Edgar ,
Z. Gu ,
K. Taggart ,
J. Chaudhuri ,
L. Nyakiti ,
R.G. Lee  and
R. Witt
James Edgar
Affiliation:
edgarjh@ksu.edu, Kansas State University, Chemical Engineering, Durland Hall, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506-5102, United States, 785 532-4320, 785 532-7372
Z. Gu
Affiliation:
Kansas State University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Durland Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-5102
K. Taggart
Affiliation:
Kansas State University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Durland Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-5102
J. Chaudhuri
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lubbock, TX 79409
L. Nyakiti
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lubbock, TX 79409
R.G. Lee
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lubbock, TX 79409
R. Witt
Affiliation:
EBSD Analytical Inc., 2044 N 1100 E, Lehi, UT 84043
Get access

Abstract

The thermal oxidation of aluminum nitride was developed as a means to study defects in bulk aluminum nitride crystals. The oxidation kinetics was established for the dry oxidation of highly textured AlN polycrystals produced by sublimation-recombination crystal growth in a tungsten furnace. Despite seeding on polycrystalline tungsten, the grains were predominantly [0001] oriented as verified by electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD). The oxidation rate is dependent on the crystal’s orientation, polarity, stress, and surface condition, thus oxidation decorates grain boundaries, polishing scratches, and inversion domains by producing oxide layers of different thicknesses. The initial oxidation rate of nitrogen polar (0001) AlN is approximately 25% faster than on aluminum polar crystals. Low temperature (800 °C) dry oxidation produced an amorphous oxide layer and generated a high density of defects (vacancies, stacking faults, and dislocations) in the nitride near the oxide/nitride interface, as observed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. In contrast, high temperature oxidation (1000 °C) produced a crystalline oxide layer, and left the nitride free of observable defects.

Keywords

oxidationnitridedefects
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 892 , 2005 , 0892-FF21-02
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Rojo, J.C., Schowalter, L.J., Slack, G., Morgan, K., Barani, J., Schujman, S., Biswas, S., Raghothamachar, B., Dudley, M., Shur, M., Gaska, R., Johnson, N.M., and Kneissl, M., Progress in the preparation of aluminum nitride substrates from bulk crystals, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 722 K1.1 (2002).Google Scholar
2. Mymrin, V.F., Bulashevich, K.A., Podolskaya, N.I., and Karpov, S. Yu., Bandgap engineering of electronic and optoelectronic devices on native AlN and GaN substrates: a modelling insight, J. Cryst. Growth 281 115 (2005).Google Scholar
3. Schlesser, R., Dalmau, R., Zhuang, D., Collazo, R., and Sitar, Z., Crucible materials for growth of aluminum nitride crystals, J. Cryst. Growth 281 75 (2005).Google Scholar
4. Slack, G.A., Whitlock, J., Morgan, K., and Schowalter, L.J., Properties of crucible materials for bulk growth of AlN, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 798 293 (2004).Google Scholar
5. Bickermann, M., Epelbaum, B.M., and Winnacker, A., Characterization of bulk AlN with low oxygen content, J. Cryst. Growth 269 432 (2004).Google Scholar
6. Wu, B., Ma, R.H., Zhang, H., and Prasad, V., Modeling and simulation of AlN bulk sublimation growth systems, J. Cryst. Growth 266 303 (2004).Google Scholar
7. Raghothamachar, B., Dudley, M., Rojo, J.C., Morgan, K., and Schowalter, L.J., X-ray characterization of bulk AlN single crystals grown by the sublimation technique, J. Cryst. Growth 250 244 (2003).Google Scholar
8. Zhuang, D. and Edgar, J.H., Wet etching of GaN, AlN, and SiC: a review, Mater, Sci. Eng. R. 48 1 (2005).Google Scholar
9. Gu, Z., Edgar, J.H., Speakman, S.A., Blom, D., Perrin, J., and Chaudhuri, J., Thermal oxidation of polycrystalline and single crystalline aluminum nitride wafers, J. Electron. Mater. 34 1271 (2005).Google Scholar
10. Zhuang, D., Edgar, J.H., Liu, L., Liu, B., and Walker, L., Wet chemical etching of AlN single crystals, MRS Internet J. Nitride Semicond. Res. 7 4 (2002) http://nsr.mij.mrs.org/7/4/.Google Scholar
11. Tavernier, P.R., Margalith, T., Coldren, L.A., DenBaars, S.P., and Clarke, D.R., Chemical mechanical polishing of gallium nitride, Electrochem. Solid State Lett. 5 G61 (2002).Google Scholar
12. Weyher, J.L., Muller, S., Grzegory, I., and Porowski, S., Chemical polishing of bulk and epitaxial GaN, J. Cryst. Growth 182 17 (1997).Google Scholar
13. Chaudhuri, J., Nyakiti, L., Lee, R.G., Gu, Z., Edgar, J.H., and Wen, J.G., Thermal oxidation of single crystalline aluminum nitride, submitted to Mater. Charact.Google Scholar