Non-uniform superlattice structure

• US 10,164,147 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensor Electronic Technology Incorporated (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sensor Electronic Technology Incorporated (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sun, Wenhong, Dobrinsky, Alexander, Shatalov, Maxim S., Yang, Jinwei, Shur, Michael, Gaska, Remigijus
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Cheung
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Stephen C
• Application Number:
  US15/662,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20170345968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02389 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02505 consisting of more than two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02507 Alternating layers, e.g. superlattice
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02513 Microstructure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0066 with a substrate not being a III-V compound
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0075 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/04 with a quantum effect structure or superlattice, e.g. tunnel junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier

Abstract

A light emitting heterostructure including one or more fine structure regions is provided. The light emitting heterostructure can include a plurality of barriers alternating with a plurality of quantum wells. One or more of the barriers and/or quantum wells includes a fine structure region. The fine structure region includes a plurality of subscale features arranged in at least one of: a growth or a lateral direction.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a semiconductor structure including a superlattice, wherein the superlattice includes;

a plurality of first semiconductor layers alternating with a plurality of second semiconductor layers, wherein at least one of;

a first semiconductor layer in the plurality of first semiconductor layers or a second semiconductor layer in the plurality of second semiconductor layers includes a plurality of regions including;

a fine structure region located only in an outer portion of the at least one of;

the first semiconductor layer or the second semiconductor layer, wherein the fine structure region includes a plurality of subscale features arranged in a growth direction, wherein the plurality of subscale features includes a plurality of subscale layers of a first band gap and a plurality of subscale layers of a second band gap, wherein the subscale layers of the first band gap alternate with the subscale layers of the second band gap, and wherein one of the subscale layers of the first band gap and the subscale layers of the second band gap include subscale layers of a plurality of distinct heights differing from each other.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a p-type semiconductor layer having a p-type doping, wherein the superlattice is located within the p-type semiconductor layer.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a substrate, a buffer layer formed over the substrate, an n-type semiconductor layer formed over the buffer layer, an active layer formed over the n-type semiconductor layer, and a p-type semiconductor layer formed over the active layer.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the superlattice is located within the p-type semiconductor layer.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the superlattice is located within the active layer, and wherein the superlattice comprises a light emitting multiple quantum well heterostructure.

6. A device, comprising:

a semiconductor structure including a superlattice, wherein the superlattice includes;

a plurality of first semiconductor layers alternating with a plurality of second semiconductor layers, wherein at least one of;

a first semiconductor layer in the plurality of first semiconductor layers or a second semiconductor layer in the plurality of second semiconductor layers includes a plurality of regions including;

a fine structure region including a plurality of subscale features having a graded composition that varies in the growth direction, wherein the plurality of subscale features include a plurality of subscale barriers alternating with a plurality of subscale quantum wells.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein at least some of the subscale features comprise a composition that varies in a lateral direction.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the fine structure region includes a first plurality of laterally discrete subscale features of varying composition, wherein the fine structure region is adjacent to at least one of:

a first semiconductor layer in the plurality of first semiconductor layers or a second semiconductor layer in the plurality of second semiconductor layers having a substantially contiguous lateral composition.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the fine structure region further includes a second plurality of laterally discrete subscale features of varying composition, and wherein the second plurality of laterally discrete subscale features are laterally staggered from the first plurality of laterally discrete subscale features.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the fine structure region is in the first semiconductor layer in the plurality of first semiconductor layers adjacent to a first semiconductor layer-second semiconductor layer heterojunction within the superlattice, and wherein a height of the subscale barriers in the fine structure region decrease decreases toward the heterojunction.

11. The device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of first semiconductor layers are barriers and the plurality of second semiconductor layers are quantum wells.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the fine structure region is located in the first semiconductor layer in the plurality of first semiconductor layers, and wherein a height of each of the subscale barriers in the fine structure region is no higher than a barrier height of the first semiconductor layer in the plurality of first semiconductor layers.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the fine structure region is located in the second semiconductor layer in the plurality of second semiconductor layers, and wherein a height of each of the subscale barriers in the fine structure region is higher than a quantum well depth of the second semiconductor layer in the plurality of second semiconductor layers and lower than a barrier height of each of a set of first semiconductor layers immediately adjacent to the second semiconductor layer.

14. The device of claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of subscale features is laterally non-uniform.

15. A device comprising:

a group III nitride semiconductor structure including a superlattice, wherein the superlattice includes;

a plurality of first semiconductor layers alternating with a plurality of second semiconductor layers, wherein at least one of;

a first semiconductor layer in the plurality of first semiconductor layers or a second semiconductor layer in the plurality of second semiconductor layers includes a plurality of regions including;

a fine structure region located only in an outer portion of the at least one of;

the first semiconductor layer or the second semiconductor layer, wherein the fine structure region includes a plurality of subscale layers having alternating compressive and tensile stresses, wherein the compressive and tensile stresses in the plurality of subscale layers decrease in a direction toward a first semiconductor layer-second semiconductor layer heterojunction adjacent to the outer portion.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the group III nitride semiconductor structure comprises aluminum gallium nitride materials.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the first semiconductor layer in the plurality of first semiconductor layers is a barrier of a multiple quantum well structure including the fine structure region, and wherein at least one of the plurality of subscale layers has a higher gallium content than a gallium content of the first semiconductor layer.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the second semiconductor layer in the plurality of second semiconductor layers is a quantum well of a multiple quantum well structure including the fine structure region, and wherein at least one of the plurality of subscale layers has a higher aluminum content than an aluminum content of the second semiconductor layer.

19. The device of claim 15, wherein the fine structure region further includes a plurality of subscale features arranged in a lateral direction.

20. The device of claim 15, further comprising a substrate layer, a buffer layer adjacent to the substrate layer, an n-type semiconductor layer over the buffer layer, an active layer over the n-type semiconductor layer, and a p-type semiconductor layer over the active layer, wherein the superlattice is located within at least one of:

the active layer, the p-type semiconductor layer, or the n-type semiconductor layer.