Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing semiconductor device

• US 20060054888A1
• Filed: 06/04/2003
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Kadota, Michio, Ito, Yoshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,501,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/43
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02403 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02472 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02483 Oxide semiconducting materials not being Group 12/16 materials, e.g. ternary compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02507 Alternating layers, e.g. superlattice
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02554 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02565 Oxide semiconducting materials not being Group 12/16 materials, e.g. ternary compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02581 Transition metal or rare earth elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/28 containing only elements of Group II and Group VI of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/327 in AIIBVI compounds, e.g. ZnCdSe-laser

Abstract

A semiconductor device having excellent crystallinity and excellent electric characteristics includes a ZnO thin film having excellent surface smoothness. ZnO-based thin films (an n-type contact layer, an n-type clad layer, an active layer, a p-type clad layer, and a p-type contact layer primarily including ZnO are formed sequentially by an ECR sputtering method or other suitable method on a zinc-polar surface of a ZnO substrates. A transparent electrode and a p-side electrode are formed by an evaporation method or other suitable method on a surface of the p-type contact layer, and an n-side electrode is formed on an oxygen-polar surface of the ZnO substrate.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A semiconductor device comprising:

a single crystal substrate primarily including zinc oxide and having a zinc-polar surface and an oxygen-polar surface; and

at least one layer of thin film primarily including zinc oxide disposed on the zinc-polar surface.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein the at least one layer of thin film has zinc-polarity.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein the at least one layer of thin film includes a multilayer film and the multilayer film defines a light-emitting layer.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein the at least one layer of thin film includes a multilayer film and the multilayer film defines a switching portion.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein the multilayer film includes an n-type contact layer, an n-type clad layer, an active layer, a p-type clad layer and a p-type contact layer.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 14, further comprising a transparent electrode disposed on the multilayer film.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 15, wherein the transparent electrode is made of Indium Tin Oxide.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein the multilayer film includes an n-type contact layer, an n-type clad layer, an n-type light guide layer, an active layer, a p-type light guide layer, a p-type clad layer, a current limiting layer, and a p-type contact layer.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 17, further comprising a p-side electrode disposed on the multilayer film.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 18, wherein the p-side electrode includes a Ni film, an Al film, and a Au film.

20. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

determining whether a surface of a single crystal substrate primarily including zinc oxide is a zinc-polar surface or an oxygen-polar surface; and

forming at least one layer of thin film primarily including zinc oxide on the zinc-polar surface.

21. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein the thin film has zinc-polarity.

22. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

providing a sputtering apparatus provided with a plasma generation chamber and a separate film formation chamber; and

performing sputtering treatment using the sputtering apparatus so as to form the thin film.

23. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 22, wherein the sputtering treatment is performed by a method selected from the group consisting of an electron cyclotron resonance plasma sputtering method, an inductively coupled plasma sputtering method, a helicon wave excited plasma sputtering method, an ion beam sputtering method, and a cluster beam sputtering method.

24. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein the thin film is formed by a method selected from the group consisting of a molecular-beam epitaxy method, a metal organic chemical vapor deposition method, a laser molecular-beam epitaxy method, and a laser abrasion method.

25. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein the at least one layer of thin film is formed to include a multilayer film and the multilayer film defines a light-emitting layer.

26. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein the at least one layer of thin film is formed to include a multilayer film and the multilayer film defines a switching portion.

27. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 25, wherein the multilayer film is formed to include an n-type contact layer, an n-type clad layer, an active layer, a p-type clad layer and a p-type contact layer.

28. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 25, wherein the multilayer film is formed to include an n-type contact layer, an n-type clad layer, an n-type light guide layer, an active layer, a p-type light guide layer, a p-type clad layer, a current limiting layer, and a p-type contact layer.