Silicon—a new substrate for GaN growth

Abstract

Generally, GaN-based devices are grown on silicon carbide or sapphire substrates. But these substrates are costly and insulating in nature and also are not available in large diameter. Silicon can meet the requirements for a low cost and conducting substrate and will enable integration of optoelectronic or high power electronic devices with Si based electronics. But the main problem that hinders the rapid development of GaN devices based on silicon is the thermal mismatch of GaN and Si, which generates cracks. In 1998, the first MBE grown GaN based LED on Si was made and now the quality of material grown on silicon is comparable to that on sapphire substrate. It is only a question of time before Si based GaN devices appear on the market. This article is a review of the latest developments in GaN based devices on silicon.