METHOD OF MANUFACTURING NITRIDE SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT EMITTING ELEMENT AND NITRIDE SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT EMITTING ELEMENT

• US 20100098127A1
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nichia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nichia Corporation
• Inventors: OMAE, Kunimichi, HIGUCHI, Yu
• Granted Patent: US 7,986,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/50.11
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0217 Removal of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04252 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04253 having specific optical properties, e.g. transparent electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04254 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18308 having a special structure for lateral current or light confinement
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18341 Intra-cavity contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18369 based on dielectric materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18397 Plurality of active layers vertically stacked in a cavity for multi-wavelength emission
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3095 Tunnel junction

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light emitting element includes: forming a stacked layer body of a nitride semiconductor having a second conductive-type layer, a light emitting layer, and a first conductive-type layer stacked on a growth substrate in this order; forming a first Bragg reflector made of a dielectric multilayer film above the first conductive-type layer; forming a first electrode over the first Bragg reflector with the first electrode being electrically connected to the first conductive-type layer; bonding the stacked layer body to a supporting substrate via the first Bragg reflector and the first electrode; removing the growth substrate from the stacked layer body to expose the second conductive-type layer; and forming over the exposed second conductive-type layer a second electrode and a second Bragg reflector made of a dielectric multilayer film so that the second Bragg reflector faces the first Bragg reflector across the stacked layer body.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light emitting element comprising:

forming a stacked layer body of a nitride semiconductor having a second conductive-type layer, a light emitting layer, and a first conductive-type layer stacked on a growth substrate in this order;

forming a first Bragg reflector made of a dielectric multilayer film above the first conductive-type layer;

forming a first electrode over the first Bragg reflector with the first electrode being electrically connected to the first conductive-type layer;

bonding the stacked layer body to a supporting substrate via the first Bragg reflector and the first electrode;

removing the growth substrate from the stacked layer body to expose the second conductive-type layer; and

forming over the exposed second conductive-type layer a second electrode and a second Bragg reflector made of a dielectric multilayer film so that the second Bragg reflector faces the first Bragg reflector across the stacked layer body.

2. The method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, wherein

the forming of the first Bragg reflector includes forming a first transparent electrode over the first conductive-type layer and forming the first Bragg reflector over the first transparent electrode, and

the forming of the first electrode includes electrically connecting the first electrode to the first conductive-type layer via the first transparent electrode.

3. The method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 2, further comprising

forming a connecting electrode on a side surface of the first Bragg reflector or penetrating through the first Bragg reflector so that the first transparent electrode and the first electrode are electrically connected via the connecting electrode.

4. The method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, further comprising

forming an insulating film and a metal film so that a side surface of the stacked layer body is covered with the insulating film and the metal film in this order.

5. The method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, further comprising

removing a part of the stacked layer body from a side of the first conductive-type layer to form a protrusion after the forming of the stacked layer body.

6. The method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 5, further comprising

forming a connecting electrode to cover a side surface of the protrusion.

7. The method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 5, wherein

removing a part of the stacked layer body from a side of the second conductive-type layer after the removing of the growth substrate so that at least a part of the stacked layer body has a width wider than a width of the protrusion and narrower than a width of the connecting electrode.

8. The method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, wherein

forming of the second electrode and the second Bragg reflector includes forming a second transparent electrode over the second conductive-type layer, forming the second Bragg reflector over the second transparent electrode, and electrically connecting the second electrode to the second transparent electrode.

9. A nitride semiconductor light emitting element comprising:

a supporting substrate;

a first Bragg reflector made of a dielectric multilayer film;

a stacked layer body of nitride semiconductor disposed on an opposite side of the first Bragg reflector from the supporting substrate, the stacked layer body having a first conductive-type layer, a light emitting layer, and a second conductive-type layer stacked in this order;

a second Bragg reflector made of a dielectric multilayer film and facing the first Bragg reflector across the stacked layer body; and

a first electrode electrically connected to the first conductive-type layer with the first electrode being disposed between the supporting substrate and the first Bragg reflector.

10. The nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9, wherein

the first electrode is electrically connected to the first conductive-type layer via a first transparent electrode disposed between the first Bragg reflector and the first conductive-type layer, the first transparent electrode protruding outwardly from the first Bragg reflector in a direction perpendicular to a stacking direction of the stacked layer body.

11. The nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9, wherein

the first electrode and the first conductive-type layer are electrically connected via a connecting electrode disposed on a side surface of the first Bragg reflector or penetrating through the first Bragg reflector.

12. The nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 11, wherein

the connecting electrode has a width smaller than a width of the supporting substrate.

13. The nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9, wherein

the stacked layer body has a side surface covered with an insulating film and a metal film in this order.

14. The nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9, wherein

a part of the stacked layer body on a side of the first conductive-type layer has a width smaller than a width of a part of the stacked layer body on a side of the second conductive-type layer.

15. The nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9, wherein

the second Bragg reflector covers a region facing the first Bragg reflector across the stacked layer body.

16. The nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 10, further comprising

an insulating layer having an aperture and disposed contiguous to the first conductive-type layer, and

a second electrode having an aperture and disposed over the second conductive-type layer,

the first transparent electrode covering the aperture of the insulating layer,

the second Bragg reflector being disposed at least at the aperture of the second electrode, and

the second Bragg reflector having an area larger than an area of the first Bragg reflector disposed at the aperture of the insulating layer.

17. The nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 16, wherein

the insulating layer is disposed above the connecting electrode.

18. The nitride semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9, wherein

the second Bragg reflector is a light emitting side of the nitride semiconductor light emitting element.