NITRIDE SEMICONDUCTOR LUMINOUS ELEMENT AND OPTICAL DEVICE INCLUDING IT

• US 20050095768A1
• Filed: 11/05/2001
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2000
• 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: Ito, Shigetoshi, Tsuda, Yuhzoh
• Granted Patent: US 6,909,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/200
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• 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 5/34333 with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser

Abstract

According to an 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 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 formed on a substrate, comprising a light emitting layer including a quantum well layer and a barrier layer in contact with said well layer, wherein

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

an element X, said element X including at least one element selected from As, P and Sb,

said well layer has an atomic fraction X/(N+X) of less than 30%,

said barrier layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor containing Ga, N and an element Y, said element Y including at least one element selected from As, P and Sb,

said barrier layer has an atomic fraction Y/(N+Y) of less than 15%, and

said barrier layer has a thickness of more than 1 nm and less than 40 nm,

said substrate is a pseudo GaN substrate including a GaN substrate layer grown to cover a main surface of a seed substrate and a plurality of stripe-shaped growth inhibiting films formed thereon, said growth inhibiting films serving to restrict growth of said GaN substrate layer, and wherein said light emitting device includes a ridge stripe portion for narrowing current, said ridge stripe portion being formed avoiding a portion above the center in width of said stripe-shaped growth inhibiting film and a portion above the center in width of a region unprovided with said growth inhibiting film.

2. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said element X and said element Y are the same element.

3. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a dose of said element Y is more than 1×

10¹⁶/cm³.

4. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said seed substrate is a nitride semiconductor substrate.

5. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 4, wherein said substrate has an etch pit density of less than 7×

10⁷/cm².

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

8. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said light emitting layer contains at least one impurity selected from Si, O, S, C, Ge, Zn, Cd and Mg, and a total dose of the impurity is more than 1×

10¹⁶/cm³ and less than 1×

10²⁰/cm³.

9. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein number of said well layers is at most 10.

10. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said well layer further includes In, and said atomic fraction X/(N+X) is less than 20%.

11. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 10, wherein said element X and said element Y are the same element.

12. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 11, wherein an atomic fraction Y/(N+Y) is equal to the atomic fraction X/(N+X).

13. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 10, wherein an atomic fraction Y/(N+Y) is more than 2×

10<sup>−

5</sup>%.

14. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 10, wherein said substrate is a nitride semiconductor substrate or a pseudo GaN substrate.

15. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, wherein said substrate has an etch pit density of less than 7×

10⁷/cm².

16. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 10, wherein said well layer has a thickness of more than 0.4 nm and less than 20 nm.

18. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 10, wherein said light emitting layer contains at least one impurity selected from Si, O, S, C, Ge, Zn, Cd and Mg, and a total dose of said impurity is more than 1×

10⁶/cm³ and less than 1×

10²⁰/cm³.

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

20. An optical pickup apparatus including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, comprising a nitride semiconductor laser device having a laser wavelength of more than 380 nm and less than 420 nm.

21. A white light source apparatus including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, comprising a light emitting diode device or a super-luminescent diode device having an emission wavelength of more than 380 nm and less than 420 mm.

22. A display apparatus including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, comprising a light emitting diode device having an emission wavelength of more than 450 nm and less than 480 nm and a half-width of emission peak of less than 40 nm.

25. A method of forming the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said well layer and said barrier layer are grown by metallorganic chemical vapor deposition, and a growth break interval of at least one second and at most 180 seconds is provided between growth of said well layer and growth of said barrier layer.

7. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

23-24. -24. (canceled)

26. A nitride semiconductor light emitting device formed on a substrate, comprising a light emitting layer including a quantum well layer and a barrier layer in contact with said well layer, wherein

said quantum well layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor containing Ga, N and an element X, said element X including at least one element selected from As, P and Sb,

said well layer has an atomic fraction X/(N+X) of less than 30%,

said barrier layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor containing Ga, N and an element Y, said element Y including at least one element selected from As, P and Sb,

said barrier layer has an atomic fraction Y/(N+Y) of less than 15%, and

said barrier layer has a thickness of more than 1 nm and less than 40 nm,

wherein said substrate is a nitride semiconductor substrate or a pseudo GaN substrate and said substrate has an etch pit density of less than 7×

10⁷/cm².

27. An optical pickup apparatus including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 26, comprising a nitride semiconductor laser device having a laser wavelength of more than 380 nm and less than 420 nm.

28. A white light source apparatus including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 26, comprising a light emitting diode device or a super-luminescent diode device having an emission wavelength of more than 380 nm and less than 420 nm.

29. A display apparatus including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 26, comprising a light emitting diode device having an emission wavelength of more than 450 nm and less than 480 nm and a half-width of emission peak of less than 40 nm.

35. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 26, wherein said well layer further includes In, and said atomic fraction X/(N+X) is less than 20%.

30. A nitride semiconductor light emitting device formed on a substrate, comprising a light emitting layer including a quantum well layer and a barrier layer in contact with said well layer, wherein

said quantum well layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor containing Ga, N and an element X, said element X including at least one element selected from As, P and Sb,

said well layer has an atomic fraction X/(N+X) of less than 30%,

said barrier layer is formed of a nitride semiconductor containing Ga, N and an element Y, said element Y including at least one element selected from As, P and Sb,

said barrier layer has an atomic fraction Y/(N+Y) of less than 15%, and

said barrier layer has a thickness of more than 1 nm and less than 40 nm,

said substrate is a pseudo GaN substrate including a GaN substrate layer grown to cover a plurality of stripe-shaped grooves and hills formed on a main surface of a seed substrate, and wherein said light emitting device includes a ridge stripe portion for narrowing current, said ridge stripe portion being formed avoiding a portion above the center in width of said stripe-shaped groove and a portion above the center in width of said stripe-shaped hill.

31. An optical pickup apparatus including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 30, comprising a nitride semiconductor laser device having a laser wavelength of more than 380 nm and less than 420 nm.

32. A white light source apparatus including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 30, comprising a light emitting diode device or a super-luminescent diode device having an emission wavelength of more than 380 nm and less than 420 nm.

33. A display apparatus including the nitride semiconductor light emitting device of claim 30, comprising a light emitting diode device having an emission wavelength of more than 450 nm and less than 480 nm and a half-width of emission peak of less than 40 nm.

34. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 30, wherein said well layer further includes In, and said atomic fraction X/(N+X) is less than 20%.

36. The nitride semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 30, wherein said seed substrate is a nitride semiconductor.