Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same

• US 20050029531A1
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takizawa, Toshiyuki, Ueda, Tetsuzo, Yuri, Masaaki, Nakayama, Hisashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,795,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/94
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/08 with a plurality of light emitting regions, e.g. laterally discontinuous light emitting layer or photoluminescent region integrated within the semiconductor body H01L27/15 takes precedence

Abstract

A semiconductor device, which includes an active layer made of a first semiconductor layer formed on a substrate, is designed so that a first oxidized area made of an oxide layer is formed on the active layer.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

an active layer made of a first semiconductor layer formed on a substrate,

wherein a first oxidized area made of an oxide layer is formed on the active layer.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first oxidized area is formed in the vicinity of each crystal defect that is present in the active layer.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second semiconductor layer formed on the active layer,

wherein a second oxidized area, made of an oxide layer, is formed on at least one of the surface and the side face of the second semiconductor layer.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3,

wherein the layer thickness of the second oxidized area to be formed on the side face of the second semiconductor layer is made greater than the layer thickness of the second oxidized area formed on the surface of the second semiconductor layer.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 3,

wherein the first oxidized area is further formed on the side face of the active layer, and the layer thickness of the first oxidized area formed on the side face of the active layer is made greater than the layer thickness of the second oxidized area formed on the side face of the second semiconductor layer.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the active layer is made of an activator layer of a light-emitting diode.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the active layer is made of a light-absorbing layer of a photodiode.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the active layer is made of an activator layer of a semiconductor laser.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the active layer is made of a channel layer of a field-effect transistor.

6. A semiconductor device, comprising:

an active layer made of a first semiconductor layer formed on a substrate; and

a second semiconductor layer formed on the active layer,

wherein a first oxidized area made of an oxide layer is formed on the active layer.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the active layer is made of an activator layer of a light-emitting diode.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the active layer is made of a light-absorbing layer of a photodiode.

20. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the active layer is made of an activator layer of a semiconductor laser.

21. The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein the active layer is made of a channel layer of a field-effect transistor.

11. A fabricating method for a semiconductor device comprising:

the steps of;

forming an active layer made of a semiconductor layer on a substrate; and

selectively forming an oxidized area made of an oxide layer on the active layer.

12. The fabricating method for a semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the step of selectively forming the oxidized area includes a step of forming an oxidized area in the vicinity of a crystal defect that is present in the active layer.

13. The fabricating method for a semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the step of selectively forming the oxidized area includes a step of forming an oxidized area through a thermal treatment in an atmosphere containing water vapor.

14. A fabricating method for a semiconductor device comprising:

the steps of;

forming an active layer made of a first semiconductor layer on a substrate;

forming a second semiconductor layer on the active layer; and

selectively forming oxidized areas made of oxide layers on at least two faces having different face orientations in the second semiconductor layer.

15. The fabricating method for a semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein the step of selectively forming the oxidized area includes a step of forming oxidized areas so that the oxidized areas to be formed on at least the respective two faces have respectively different layer thicknesses.

16. The fabricating method for a semiconductor device according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the two faces is formed as a face having a c-face orientation in the second semiconductor layer.

17. The fabricating method for a semiconductor device according to claim 16, wherein the layer thickness of the oxidized area to be formed on the face having the c-face orientation in the second semiconductor layer is made smaller than the layer thickness of the oxidized area to be formed on a face different from the face having the c-face orientation in the second semiconductor layer.