Publications

Molten Salt-Based Growth of Bulk GaN and InN for Substrates

Waldrip, Karen E.; Tsao, Jeffrey Y.; Kerley, Thomas M.

An atmospheric pressure approach to growth of bulk group III-nitrides is outlined. Native III-nitride substrates for optoelectronic and high power, high frequency electronics are desirable to enhance performance and reliability of these devices; currently, these materials are available in research quantities only for GaN, and are unavailable in the case of InN. The thermodynamics and kinetics of the reactions associated with traditional crystal growth techniques place these activities on the extreme edges of experimental physics. The technique described herein relies on the production of the nitride precursor (N^3-) by chemical and/or electrochemical methods in a molten halide salt. This nitride ion is then reacted with group III metals in such a manner as to form the bulk nitride material. The work performed during the period of funding (July 2004-September 2005) focused on the initial measurement of the solubility of GaN in molten LiCl as a function of temperature, the construction of electrochemical cells, the modification of a commercial glove box (required for handling very hygroscopic LiCl), and on securing intellectual property for the technique.