Nitride semiconductor light emitting element and optical device containing it

• US 20040026710A1
• Filed: 03/20/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Araki, Masahiro, Ito, Shigetoshi, Tsuda, Yuhzoh
• Granted Patent: US 7,012,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/103
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/02 characterised by the semiconductor bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2009 by using electron barrier layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/305 characterised by the doping materials used in the laser structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34346 characterised by the materials of the barrier layers

Abstract

According to an aspect of the present invention, a nitride semiconductor light emitting device includes a light emitting layer (106) having a quantum well structure with quantum well layers and barrier layers laminated alternately. The well layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor containing In, and the barrier layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor layer containing As, P or Sb. According to another aspect of the present invention, a nitride semiconductor light emitting device includes a light emitting layer having a quantum well structure with quantum well layers and barrier layers laminated alternately. The well layer is formed of GaN_1-x-y-zAs_xP_ySb_z (0<x+y+z≦0.3), and the barrier layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor containing In.

Claims

1. A nitride semiconductor light emitting device, comprising a light emitting layer having a quantum well structure with quantum well layers and barrier layers laminated alternately, wherein

said quantum well layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor layer containing In, and

said barrier layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor layer containing As, P or Sb.

2. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, comprising a substrate for growing a plurality of semiconductor layers included in said nitride semiconductor light emitting device, wherein at least one of a first adjacent semiconductor layer in contact with a first one of main surfaces of said light emitting layer closer to said substrate and a second adjacent semiconductor layer in contact with a second one of the main surfaces of said light emitting layer farther from said substrate is formed of a nitride semiconductor containing Al.

3. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 2, wherein said well layer is in direct contact with one of said first adjacent semiconductor layer and said second adjacent semiconductor layer.

4. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said light emitting layer includes at least two and at most ten said well layers.

5. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said well layer has a thickness of more than 0.4 nm and less than 20 nm.

6. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said barrier layer has a thickness of more than 1 nm and less than 20 nm.

7. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a dose of As atoms in said barrier layer is more than 1×

10¹⁸/cm³, and a content of the As atoms in group V elements is less than 20%.

8. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a dose of P atoms in said barrier layer is more than 1×

10¹⁹/cm³, and a content of the P atoms in group V elements is less than 25%.

9. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a dose of Sb atoms in said barrier layer is more than 1×

10¹⁷/cm³, and a content of the Sb atoms in group V elements is less than 15%.

10. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said well layer and said barrier layer is added with at least one kind of dopant selected from a group consisting of Si, O, S, C, Ge, Zn, Cd and Mg.

11. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 10, wherein a dose of said dopant is in a range of 1×

10¹⁶/cm³ to 1×

10²⁰/cm³.

12. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said light emitting device is formed using a GaN substrate.

13. An optical device including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1.

14. A nitride semiconductor light emitting device, comprising a light emitting layer having a quantum well structure with quantum well layers and barrier layers laminated alternately, wherein

said well layer is formed of GaN_1-x-y-zAs_xP_ySb_z (0<

x+y+z≦

0.3), and

said barrier layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor containing In.

15. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, wherein a content of In atoms in group III elements in said barrier layer is more than 0.1% and less than 15%.

16. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 15, wherein at least one d Sb is included in said barrier layer.

17. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 16, wherein a total sum of contents of the As, P and Sb atoms in group V elements in said barrier layer is more than 2×

10<sup>−

5</sup>% and less than 20%.

18. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 16, wherein said barrier layer includes all constituent elements of said well layer.

19. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, wherein number of said well layers included in said light emitting layer is at least 2 and at most 10.

20. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, wherein said light emitting layer is formed on a nitride semiconductor substrate or a pseudo GaN substrate.

21. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, wherein said well layer has a thickness of more than 3 nm and less than 20 nm, and said barrier layer has a thickness of more than 3 nm and less than 20 nm.

22. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 20, wherein said well layer has a thickness of more than 0.4 nm and less than 20 nm, and said barrier layer has a thickness of more than 1 nm and less than 20 nm.

23. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, wherein at least one kind of impurity selected from a group consisting of Si, O, S, C, Ge, Zn, Cd and Mg is added in said light emitting layer at a total dose of more than 1×

10¹⁶/cm³ and less than 1×

10²⁰/cm³.

24. An optical device including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 14.