Method for producing semiconductor device

• US 10,234,628 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2017
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuji, Yukihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Shamim
• Application Number:
  US15/714,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20180149809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/28 Investigating the spectrum using colour filters G01J3/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/956 Inspecting patterns on the surface of objects contactless testing of electronic circuits G01R31/308; testing currency G07D; manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/122 Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/36 Masks having proximity correction features; Preparation thereof, e.g. optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70508 Data handling in all parts of the microlithographic apparatus, e.g. handling pattern data for addressable masks or data transfer to or from different components within the exposure apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02109 characterised by the type of layer, e.g. type of material, porous/non-porous, pre-cursors, mixtures or laminates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/30621 Vapour phase etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3065 Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/32139 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0202 Cleaving
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0421 characterised by the semiconducting contacting layers electrodes H01S5/0425
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/183 having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18311 using selective oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18361 Structure of the reflectors, e.g. hybrid mirrors

Abstract

A method for producing a semiconductor device includes the steps of: providing a substrate product including a substrate and a first stacked semiconductor layer disposed on the substrate, the first stacked semiconductor layer including a plurality of semiconductor layers having different compositions that are alternately and periodically stacked with a predetermined period; forming a mask on the substrate product; and etching the first stacked semiconductor layer using the mask. The step of etching the first stacked semiconductor layer includes the steps of: optically monitoring an optical signal including a light component reflected from an etched surface of the substrate product for detecting an endpoint of etching; converting the optical signal to an electric signal to generate a monitoring signal; performing Fourier transform on the monitoring signal to generate a spectrum signal; and determining the endpoint detection of the etching by using the spectrum signal provided by the Fourier transform.

Claims

1. A method for producing a semiconductor device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a substrate product including a substrate and a first stacked semiconductor layer disposed on the substrate, the first stacked semiconductor layer including a first portion, a contact layer, and a second portion with the contact layer being disposed between the first portion and the second portion, and with the second portion being disposed between the contact layer and the substrate, each of the first portion and the second portion having a plurality of semiconductor layers of different compositions that are alternately and periodically stacked with a predetermined period;

forming a mask on the substrate product; and

etching the first stacked semiconductor layer using the mask,

wherein the step of etching the first stacked semiconductor layer includes the steps of;

optically monitoring an optical signal including an interference component that is obtained through interference between a light component reflected from an etched surface of the substrate product and a light component reflected from a boundary within the substrate product for detecting an endpoint of etching;

converting the optical signal to an electric signal to generate a monitoring signal;

performing Fourier transform on the monitoring signal to generate a spectrum signal, the spectrum signal including a frequency component corresponding to the period of the semiconductor layers in the first portion of the first stacked semiconductor layer;

determining the endpoint of etching by using the spectrum signal provided by the Fourier transform; and

stopping etching within the contact layer by detecting a change in the spectrum signal.

2. The method for producing a semiconductor device according to claim 1,

wherein the interference component is obtained through interference between the light component reflected from the etched surface and a light component reflected from a surface of the substrate as the light component reflected from the boundary.

3. The method for producing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

the substrate product includes a device area and an accessory area,

the mask has a plurality of patterns including openings, one of the patterns being on the device area and one of the patterns being on the accessory area,

the pattern on the accessory area has a larger opening than that of the pattern on the device area so that the accessory area is etched at a larger etching rate than that of the device area, and

the light component reflected from the etched surface is reflected from the accessory area.

4. The method for producing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

the substrate product includes an active layer that generates light, and

the first stacked semiconductor layer is disposed between the substrate and the active layer.

5. The method for producing a semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein

the substrate product includes a second stacked semiconductor layer disposed on the substrate, the second stacked semiconductor layer including a plurality of semiconductor layers having different compositions that are alternately and periodically stacked,

the active layer is disposed between the first stacked semiconductor layer and the second stacked semiconductor layer, and

each of the first stacked semiconductor layer and the second stacked semiconductor layer has a periodic structure that constitutes a distributed Bragg reflector.

6. The method for producing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

the contact layer has a thickness larger than a thickness of any of the semiconductor layers that are alternatively and periodically stacked.