Substrate, substrate inspecting method and methods of manufacturing an element and a substrate

• US 20070278485A1
• Filed: 06/01/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Takao, Ueda, Toshio, Kyono, Takashi
• Application Number:
  US11/806,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20070278485A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/48
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/10 Measuring as part of the manufacturing process burn-in G01R31/2855
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps

Abstract

A substrate inspection method allowing inspection of all a plurality of substrates each provided at its surface with a plurality of layers by determining quality of the plurality of layers as well as methods of manufacturing the substrate and an element using the substrate inspection method are provided. The substrate inspection method includes a step of preparing the substrate provided at its main surface with the plurality of layers, a film forming step, a local etching step, and an inspection step or a composition analysis step. In the step, a concavity is formed in a region provided with an epitaxial layer of the main surface of the substrate by removing at least partially the epitaxial layer. In the inspection step, the inspection is performed on the layer exposed in the concavity.

Claims

1. A substrate inspection method comprising the steps of:

preparing a substrate provided at its main surface with a plurality of layers;

forming an opening at the main surface of said substrate by removing at least partially said plurality of layers in a region provided with said plurality of layers; and

performing an inspection on said layer exposed in said opening.

2. The substrate inspection method according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of openings are formed in the region provided with said plurality of layers in said step of forming the opening, and

inspection is performed in each of said plurality of openings in said step of performing the inspection.

3. The substrate inspection method according to claim 1, wherein

a material of said substrate contains one kind of material selected from the group consisting of GaN, AlN and SiC, and

a material of said layer contains one kind of material selected from the group consisting of AlGaN, InGaN and GaN.

4. A method of manufacturing an element, comprising the steps of:

a performing an inspection using the substrate inspection method according to claim 1, and inspecting said substrate; and

forming an element in a region other than a portion provided with said opening within a region provided with said plurality of layers of said substrate determined to satisfy a predetermined criterion according to a result of the inspection in said step of performing the inspection.

5. A method of manufacturing a substrate, comprising the steps of:

preparing a substrate;

forming a plurality of layers on a main surface of said substrate;

inspecting the substrate provided with said plurality of layers, said step of inspecting the substrate including the steps of;

forming an opening at the main surface of said substrate by removing at least partially said plurality of layers in a region provided with said plurality of layers, and

performing an inspection on said layer exposed in said opening; and

removing said plurality of layers from said substrate determined not to satisfy a predetermined criterion according to a result of the inspection in said step of inspecting the substrate, wherein

said step of forming said plurality of layers includes reformation of the plurality of layers on the main surface of said substrate previously subjected to removal of said plurality of layers in said step of removing said plurality of layers.

6. The method of manufacturing the substrate according to claim 5, wherein,

said step of removing said plurality of layers includes a step of removing said plurality of layers by polishing the surface provided with said plurality of layers of said substrate.

7. The method of manufacturing the substrate according to claim 5, wherein,

said step of removing said plurality of layers includes a step of removing said plurality of layers by performing physical etching on the surface provided with said plurality of layers of said substrate.

8. The method of manufacturing the substrate according to claim 5, wherein,

a material of said substrate contains one kind of material selected from the group consisting of GaN, AlN and SiC, and

a material of said layer contains one kind of material selected from the group consisting of AlGaN, InGaN and GaN.

9. A substrate manufactured by the method of manufacturing the substrate according to claim 5.

10. A substrate provided at its main surface with a plurality of layers, wherein

an opening is formed at the main surface of said substrate by removing at least partially said plurality of layers in a region provided with said plurality of layers.

11. The substrate according to claim 10, wherein

a plurality of said openings are formed in the region provided with said plurality of layers.

12. The substrate according to claim 10, wherein

a material of said substrate contains one kind of material selected from the group consisting of GaN, AlN and SiC, and

a material of said layer contains one kind of material selected from the group consisting of AlGaN, InGaN and GaN.