Patents by Inventor Robert P. Vaudo

Robert P. Vaudo has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9190592
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a thermoelectric device includes providing a substrate having a plurality of inclined growth surfaces protruding from a surface thereof. Respective thermoelectric material layers are grown on the inclined growth surfaces, and the respective thermoelectric material layers coalesce to collectively define a continuous thermoelectric film. A surface of the thermoelectric film opposite the surface of the substrate may be substantially planar, and a crystallographic orientation of the thermoelectric film may be tilted at an angle of about 45 degrees or less relative to a direction along a thickness thereof. Related devices and fabrication methods are also discussed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Nextreme Thermal Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert P. Vaudo, Philip A. Deane, Thomas Peter Schneider, Christopher D. Holzworth, Joseph Robert Williamson
  • Patent number: 8728236
    Abstract: Large area single crystal III-V nitride material having an area of at least 2 cm2, having a uniformly low dislocation density not exceeding 3×106 dislocations per cm2 of growth surface area, and including a plurality of distinct regions having elevated impurity concentration, wherein each distinct region has at least one dimension greater than 50 microns, is disclosed. Such material can be formed on a substrate by a process including (i) a first phase of growing the III-V nitride material on the substrate under pitted growth conditions, e.g., forming pits over at least 50% of the growth surface of the III-V nitride material, wherein the pit density on the growth surface is at least 102 pits/cm2 of the growth surface, and (ii) a second phase of growing the III-V nitride material under pit-filling conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Xueping Xu, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Publication number: 20140124010
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a thermoelectric device includes providing a substrate having a plurality of inclined growth surfaces protruding from a surface thereof. Respective thermoelectric material layers are grown on the inclined growth surfaces, and the respective thermoelectric material layers coalesce to collectively define a continuous thermoelectric film. A surface of the thermoelectric film opposite the surface of the substrate may be substantially planar, and a crystallographic orientation of the thermoelectric film may be tilted at an angle of about 45 degrees or less relative to a direction along a thickness thereof. Related devices and fabrication methods are also discussed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Inventors: Robert P. Vaudo, Philip A. Deane, Thomas Peter Schneider, Christopher D. Holzworth, Joseph Robert Williamson
  • Patent number: 8698286
    Abstract: The present invention relates to various switching device structures including Schottky diode, P-N diode, and P-I-N diode, which are characterized by low defect density, low crack density, low pit density and sufficient thickness (>2.5 um) GaN layers of low dopant concentration (<1E16 cm?3) grown on a conductive GaN layer. The devices enable substantially higher breakdown voltage on hetero-epitaxial substrates (<2 KV) and extremely high breakdown voltage on homo-epitaxial substrates (>2 KV).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Patent number: 8390101
    Abstract: The present invention relates to various switching device structures including Schottky diode, P-N diode, and P-I-N diode, which are characterized by low defect density, low crack density, low pit density and sufficient thickness (>2.5 um) GaN layers of low dopant concentration (<1E16 cm?3) grown on a conductive GaN layer. The devices enable substantially higher breakdown voltage on hetero-epitaxial substrates (<2 KV) and extremely high breakdown voltage on homo-epitaxial substrates (>2 KV).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Patent number: 8378463
    Abstract: A microelectronic assembly in which a semiconductor device structure is directionally positioned on an off-axis substrate. In an illustrative implementation, a laser diode is oriented on a GaN substrate wherein the GaN substrate includes a GaN (0001) surface off-cut from the <0001>direction predominantly towards either the <11 20> or the <1 100> family of directions. For a <11 20> off-cut substrate, a laser diode cavity may be oriented along the <1 100> direction parallel to lattice surface steps of the substrate in order to have a cleaved laser facet that is orthogonal to the surface lattice steps. For a <1 100> off-cut substrate, the laser diode cavity may be oriented along the <1 100> direction orthogonal to lattice surface steps of the substrate in order to provide a cleaved laser facet that is aligned with the surface lattice steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo, Xueping Xu
  • Publication number: 20120181547
    Abstract: The present invention relates to various switching device structures including Schottky diode, P-N diode, and P-I-N diode, which are characterized by low defect density, low crack density, low pit density and sufficient thickness (>2.5 um) GaN layers of low dopant concentration (<1E16 cm?3) grown on a conductive GaN layer. The devices enable substantially higher breakdown voltage on hetero-epitaxial substrates (<2 KV) and extremely high breakdown voltage on homo-epitaxial substrates (>2 KV).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: CREE, INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Patent number: 8212259
    Abstract: A III-V nitride homoepitaxial microelectronic device structure comprising a III-V nitride homoepitaxial epi layer of improved epitaxial quality deposited on a III-V nitride material substrate, e.g., of freestanding character. Various processing techniques are described, including a method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, by depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material under process conditions including V/III ratio in a range of from about 1 to about 105, nitrogen source material partial pressure in a range of from about 1 to about 103 torr, growth temperature in a range of from about 500 to about 1250 degrees Celsius, and growth rate in a range of from about 0.1 to about 102 microns per hour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo, David M. Keogh, Xueping Xu, Barbara E. Landini
  • Patent number: 8174089
    Abstract: The present invention relates to various switching device structures including Schottky diode, P—N diode, and P—I—N diode, which are characterized by low defect density, low crack density, low pit density and sufficient thickness (>2.5 um) GaN layers of low dopant concentration (<1E16 cm?3) grown on a conductive GaN layer. The devices enable substantially higher breakdown voltage on hetero-epitaxial substrates (<2 KV) and extremely high breakdown voltage on homo-epitaxial substrates (>2 KV).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Patent number: 8043731
    Abstract: A III-V nitride, e.g., GaN, substrate including a (0001) surface offcut from the <0001> direction predominantly toward a direction selected from the group consisting of <10-10> and <11-20> directions, at an offcut angle in a range that is from about 0.2 to about 10 degrees, wherein the surface has a RMS roughness measured by 50×50 ?m2 AFM scan that is less than 1 nm, and a dislocation density that is less than 3 E6 cm?2. The substrate may be formed by offcut slicing of a corresponding boule or wafer blank, by offcut lapping or growth of the substrate body on a corresponding vicinal heteroepitaxial substrate, e.g., of offcut sapphire. Both upper and lower surfaces may be offcut. The substrate is usefully employed for homoepitaxial deposition in the fabrication of III-V nitride-based microelectronic and opto-electronic devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Xueping Xu, Robert P. Vaudo, Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes
  • Patent number: 7972711
    Abstract: Large area single crystal III-V nitride material having an area of at least 2 cm2, having a uniformly low dislocation density not exceeding 3×106 dislocations per cm2 of growth surface area, and including a plurality of distinct regions having elevated impurity concentration, wherein each distinct region has at least one dimension greater than 50 microns, is disclosed. Such material can be formed on a substrate by a process including (i) a first phase of growing the III-V nitride material on the substrate under pitted growth conditions, e.g., forming pits over at least 50% of the growth surface of the III-V nitride material, wherein the pit density on the growth surface is at least 102 pits/cm2 of the growth surface, and (ii) a second phase of growing the III-V nitride material under pit-filling conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Xueping Xu, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Publication number: 20110140122
    Abstract: Large area single crystal III-V nitride material having an area of at least 2 cm2, having a uniformly low dislocation density not exceeding 3×106 dislocations per cm2 of growth surface area, and including a plurality of distinct regions having elevated impurity concentration, wherein each distinct region has at least one dimension greater than 50 microns, is disclosed. Such material can be formed on a substrate by a process including (i) a first phase of growing the III-V nitride material on the substrate under pitted growth conditions, e.g., forming pits over at least 50% of the growth surface of the III-V nitride material, wherein the pit density on the growth surface is at least 102 pits/cm2 of the growth surface, and (ii) a second phase of growing the III-V nitride material under pit-filling conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2011
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: CREE, INC.
    Inventors: XUEPING XU, ROBERT P. VAUDO
  • Publication number: 20110089536
    Abstract: A microelectronic assembly in which a semiconductor device structure is directionally positioned on an off-axis substrate. In an illustrative implementation, a laser diode is oriented on a GaN substrate wherein the GaN substrate includes a GaN (0001) surface off-cut from the <0001> direction predominantly towards either the <11 20> or the <1 100> family of directions. For a <11 20> off-cut substrate, a laser diode cavity may be oriented along the <1 100> direction parallel to lattice surface steps of the substrate in order to have a cleaved laser facet that is orthogonal to the surface lattice steps. For a <1 100> off-cut substrate, the laser diode cavity may be oriented along the <1 100> direction orthogonal to lattice surface steps of the substrate in order to provide a cleaved laser facet that is aligned with the surface lattice steps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Applicant: CREE, INC.
    Inventors: George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo, Xueping Xu
  • Patent number: 7915152
    Abstract: A boule formed by high rate vapor phase growth of Group III-V nitride boules (ingots) on native nitride seeds, from which wafers may be derived for fabrication of microelectronic device structures. The boule is of microelectronic device quality, e.g., having a transverse dimension greater than 1 centimeter, a length greater than 1 millimeter, and a top surface defect density of less than 107 defects cm?2. The Group III-V nitride boule may be formed by growing a Group III-V nitride material on a corresponding native Group III-V nitride seed crystal by vapor phase epitaxy at a growth rate above 20 micrometers per hour. Nuclear transmutation doping may be applied to an (Al,Ga,In)N article comprises a boule, wafer, or epitaxial layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert P. Vaudo, Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Joan M. Redwing, Michael A. Tischler
  • Patent number: 7884447
    Abstract: A microelectronic assembly in which a semiconductor device structure is directionally positioned on an off-axis substrate (201). In an illustrative implementation, a laser diode is oriented on a GaN substrate (201) wherein the GaN substrate includes a GaN (0001) surface off-cut from the <0001> direction predominantly towards either the <1120> or the <1100> family of directions. For a <1120> off-cut substrate, a laser diode cavity (207) may be oriented along the <1100> direction parallel to lattice surface steps (202) of the substrate (201) in order to have a cleaved laser facet that is orthogonal to the surface lattice steps. For <1100> off-cut substrate, the laser diode cavity may be oriented along the <1100> direction orthogonal to lattice surface steps (207) of the substrate (201) in order to provide a cleave laser facet that is aligned with the surface lattice steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo, Xueping Xu
  • Patent number: 7879147
    Abstract: Large area, uniformly low dislocation density single crystal III-V nitride material, e.g., gallium nitride having a large area of greater than 15 cm2, a thickness of at least 1 mm, an average dislocation density not exceeding 5E5 cm?2, and a dislocation density standard deviation ratio of less than 25%, and methods of forming same, are disclosed. Such material can be formed on a substrate by a process including (i) a first phase of growing the III-V nitride material on the substrate under pitted growth conditions, e.g., forming pits over at least 50% of the growth surface of the III-V nitride material, wherein the pit density on the growth surface is at least 102 pits/cm2 of the growth surface, and (ii) a second phase of growing the III-V nitride material under pit-filling conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Xueping Xu, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Publication number: 20100301351
    Abstract: The present invention relates to various switching device structures including Schottky diode, P—N diode, and P—I—N diode, which are characterized by low defect density, low crack density, low pit density and sufficient thickness (>2.5 um) GaN layers of low dopant concentration (<1E16 cm?3) grown on a conductive GaN layer. The devices enable substantially higher breakdown voltage on hetero-epitaxial substrates (<2 KV) and extremely high breakdown voltage on homo-epitaxial substrates (>2 KV).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicant: CREE, INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Publication number: 20100289122
    Abstract: A boule formed by high rate vapor phase growth of Group III-V nitride boules (ingots) on native nitride seeds, from which wafers may be derived for fabrication of microelectronic device structures. The boule is of microelectronic device quality, e.g., having a transverse dimension greater than 1 centimeter, a length greater than 1 millimeter, and a top surface defect density of less than 107 defects cm?2. The Group III-V nitride boule may be formed by growing a Group III-V nitride material on a corresponding native Group III-V nitride seed crystal by vapor phase epitaxy at a growth rate above 20 micrometers per hour. Nuclear transmutation doping may be applied to an (Al,Ga,In)N article comprises a boule, wafer, or epitaxial layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Applicant: CREE, INC.
    Inventors: Robert P. Vaudo, Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Joan M. Redwing, Michael A. Tischler
  • Patent number: 7804019
    Abstract: A substrate is provided including a growth surface that is offcut relative to a plane defined by a crystallographic orientation of the substrate at an offcut angle of about 5 degrees to about 45 degrees. A thermoelectric film is epitaxially grown on the growth surface. A crystallographic orientation of the thermoelectric film may be tilted about 5 degrees to about 30 degrees relative to the growth surface. The growth surface of the substrate may also be patterned to define a plurality of mesas protruding therefrom prior to epitaxial growth of the thermoelectric film. Related methods and thermoelectric devices are also discussed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Nextreme Thermal Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Pierce, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Patent number: 7795707
    Abstract: The present invention relates to various switching device structures including Schottky diode (10), P—N diode, and P—I—N diode, which are characterized by low defect density, low crack density, low pit density and sufficient thickness (>2.5 um) GaN layers (16) of low dopant concentration (<1E16 cm?3) grown on a conductive GaN layer (14). The devices enable substantially higher breakdown voltage on hetero-epitaxial substrates (<2 KV) and extremely high breakdown voltage on homo-epitaxial substrates (>2 KV).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo