NITRIDE-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE, NITRIDE-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR LASER DEVICE, NITRIDE-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME, AND METHOD OF FORMING NITRIDE-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER

• US 20100246624A1
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Epistar Corporation (Ennostar, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Bessho, Yasuyuki, Miyake, Yasuto, Kuno, Yasumitsu, Hiroyama, Ryoji, Hata, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,750,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/45.10
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0202 Cleaving
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0207 Substrates having a special shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02208 characterised by the shape of the housings
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02255 using beam deflecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02326 Arrangements for relative positioning of laser diodes and optical components, e.g. grooves in the mount to fix optical fibres or lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0234 Up-side down mountings, e.g. Flip-chip, epi-side down mountings or junction down mountings
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/028 Coatings ; Treatment of the laser facets, e.g. etching, passivation layers or reflecting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0282 Passivation layers or treatments
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0683 by monitoring the optical output parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1082 with a special facet structure, e.g. structured, non planar, oblique
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1085 Oblique facets
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18 Surface-emitting [SE] lasers, e.g. having both horizontal and vertical cavities
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/22 having a ridge or stripe structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/320225 polar orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32025 non-polar orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/320275 semi-polar orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 : with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/42 : Arrays of surface emitting lasers

Abstract

A nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device capable of suppressing complication of a manufacturing process and reduction of luminous efficiency is obtained. This nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device (50) includes a nitride-based semiconductor device layer (23) formed on a main surface of a (1-100) plane of a substrate (21), having a light-emitting layer (26) having a main surface of a (1-100) plane, a facet (50a) formed on an end of a region including the light-emitting layer (26) of the nitride-based semiconductor device layer (23), formed by a (000-1) plane extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main surface ((1-100) plane) of the light-emitting layer (26), and a reflection surface (50c) formed on a region opposed to the facet (50a) of the (000-1) plane, formed by a growth surface of the nitride-based semiconductor device layer (23), extending in a direction inclined at an angle θ₁ (about) 62° with respect to the facet (50a).

Claims

1. A nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device comprising:

a nitride-based semiconductor device layer formed on a substrate, and having a light-emitting layer with a main surface formed by a (H, K, −

H−

K,

     0) plane;

a facet formed on an end of a region including said light-emitting layer of said nitride-based semiconductor device layer, and formed by a (000-1) plane extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to said main surface of said light-emitting layer; and

a reflection surface formed on a region opposed to said facet, formed by a growth surface of said nitride-based semiconductor device layer, and extending to be inclined at a prescribed angle with respect to said facet.

2. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein

said facet is formed by a growth surface of said nitride-based semiconductor device layer.

3. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein

said reflection surface has a plain orientation of either a (1-101) plane or a (11-22) plane,

said reflection surface is the (1-101) plane, when said substrate has a main surface formed by a (1-100) plane, and

said reflection surface is the (11-22) plane, when said substrate has a main surface formed by a (11-20) plane.

4. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein

said substrate has a main surface formed by the (H, K, −

H−

K,

     0) plane, and

said facet is formed substantially perpendicular to said main surface along a first side surface of a recess portion formed on said substrate to extend in a striped manner in a [K, −

H, −

K+H, 0] direction within said main surface.

5. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 4, wherein

said first side surface is formed by the (000-1) plane.

6. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein

a laser beam emitted from said facet is reflected in a direction intersecting with an emission direction from said light-emitting layer by said reflection surface to be introduced into a monitor optical sensor of said laser beam.

7. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein

a laser beam emitted from said facet is reflected in a direction intersecting with an emission direction from said light-emitting layer by said reflection surface to be employed as a light source of a surface-emitting laser.

8. A nitride-based semiconductor laser device comprising:

a substrate; and

a nitride-based semiconductor device layer formed on a main surface of said substrate and having a light-emitting layer, wherein

a first facet of said nitride-based semiconductor device layer includes a cavity facet and an inclined plane formed in the vicinity of said cavity facet and inclined at a prescribed angle with respect to at least said main surface, and

an angle formed by said inclined plane and said main surface is an acute angle.

9. The nitride-based semiconductor laser device according to claim 8, wherein

said nitride-based semiconductor device layer includes a first conductive type first cladding layer formed on said substrate side of said light-emitting layer, and a second conductive type second cladding layer formed on an opposite side of said light-emitting layer to said substrate side, and

said inclined plane includes a facet of at least said first cladding layer.

10. The nitride-based semiconductor laser device according to claim 8, wherein

said inclined plane is formed on at least an emitting side of a laser beam emitted from said light-emitting layer.

11. The nitride-based semiconductor laser device according to claim 8, wherein

said main surface includes a (H, K, −

H−

K,

     0) plane,

at least said inclined plane is a growth surface of said nitride-based semiconductor device layer starting from a first side surface of a recess portion formed to extend in a striped manner in a direction within said main surface,

said recess portion is formed to extend in the striped manner in a [11-20] direction and said growth surface is formed by a (1-101) plane starting from said first side surface when said main surface includes a (1-100) plane, and

said recess portion is formed to extend in the striped manner in a [1-100] direction and said growth surface is formed by a (11-22) plane starting from said first side surface when said main surface includes a (11-20) plane.

12. The nitride-based semiconductor laser device according to claim 11, further comprising a second facet formed on an end opposite to said first facet with respect to an extensional direction of a cavity and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to said main surface.

13. The nitride-based semiconductor laser device according to claim 12, wherein

said second facet is formed substantially perpendicular to said main surface to start from a second side surface of said recess portion.

14. A nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting diode comprising:

a substrate formed with a recess portion on a main surface, and

a nitride-based semiconductor layer having a light-emitting layer on said main surface and including a first side surface formed by a (000-1) plane formed to start from a first inner side surface of said recess portion and a second side surface formed on a region opposite to said first side surface with said light-emitting layer therebetween to start from a second inner side surface of said recess portion on said main surface.

15. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting diode according to claim 14, wherein

said first inner side surface includes the (000-1) plane.

16. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting diode according to claim 14, wherein

said first and second side surfaces are formed by crystal growth surfaces of said nitride-based semiconductor layer.

17. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting diode according to claim 14, wherein

said second side surface is formed by a {A+B, A, −

2A−

B, 2A+B} plane (A and B satisfy A≧

0 and B≧

0, and at least either one of A and B is a nonzero integer).

18. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting diode according to claim 14, wherein

said substrate is formed by a nitride-based semiconductor.

19. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting diode according to claim 14, wherein

at least either said first or second side surface forms an obtuse angle with respect to said main surface.

20. The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting diode according to claim 14, wherein

said substrate includes a base substrate and an underlayer made of AlGaN formed on said base substrate, and

c₁ and c₂ satisfy relation of c₁>

c₂, where lattice constants of said base substrate and said underlayer are c_i and c₂ respectively, and

said first and second side surfaces are formed to start from inner side surfaces, formed to extend substantially parallel to a (0001) plane of said underlayer and said main surface, of a crack, respectively.

21. A method of forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer, comprising steps of:

forming (000-1) facets substantially perpendicular to a main surface of a substrate on said substrate having said main surface of a nonpolar face to be in contact with said main surface; and

forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer on said main surface.

22. The method of forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer according to claim 21, wherein

said step of forming said nitride-based semiconductor layer includes a step of forming said nitride-based semiconductor layer having facets formed by the (000-1) planes on regions, corresponding to said (000-1) facets, of said main surface.

23. The method of forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer according to claim 21, wherein

said substrate is made of a nitride-based semiconductor.

24. The method of forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer according to claim 21, wherein

said main surface is a (1-100) plane or a (11-20) plane.

25. The method of forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer according to claim 21, wherein

said substrate includes a base substrate and an underlayer formed on said base substrate, and

said step of forming said (000-1) facets includes a step of forming said (000-1) facets on said underlayer.

26. The method of forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer according claim 25, wherein

said underlayer includes an AlGaN layer, and

said base substrate and said underlayer satisfy relation of c₁>

c₂, where lattice constants of said base substrate and said underlayer are c₁ and c₂, respectively.

27. The method of forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer according claim 25, wherein

said step of forming said (000-1) facets further includes a step of forming (000-1) planes formed by first surfaces of cracks formed substantially parallel to a (0001) plane on said underlayer.

28. The method of forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer according claim 21, wherein

said step of forming said (000-1) facets further includes a step of forming (000-1) planes extending in a striped manner on said main surface in plan view.

29. A method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device, comprising steps of:

forming recess portions extending in a striped manner in a [K, −

H, −

K+H, 0] direction within a main surface of a substrate on said substrate having said main surface formed by a (H, K, −

H−

K,

     0) plane; and

forming a nitride-based semiconductor device layer having a light-emitting layer with a main surface formed by the (H, K, −

H−

K,

     0) plane by growing facets formed by a (000-1) plane of a nitride-based semiconductor on regions corresponding to first side surfaces of said recess portions on said main surface and by growing reflection surfaces formed by growth surfaces of said nitride-based semiconductor layer and extending to be inclined at a prescribed angle with respect to said facets on regions opposed to said facets.

30. The method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 29, wherein

said first side surfaces of said recess portions are formed by (000-1) planes.

31. A method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor laser device, comprising steps of:

forming a nitride-based semiconductor device layer having first facets including inclined planes inclined at a prescribed angle with respect to at least a main surface of a substrate on said substrate; and

forming cavity facets extending substantially perpendicular to said main surface on partial regions of said inclined planes by etching, wherein

angles formed by said inclined planes and said main surface are acute angles.

32. The method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor laser device according to claim 31, wherein

said main surface is formed by a (H, K, −

H−

K,

     0) plane,

further comprising a step of forming recess portions extending in a striped manner in a [K, −

H, −

K+H, 0] direction within said main surface on said substrate in advance of said step of forming said nitride-based semiconductor device layer, wherein

said step of forming said nitride-based semiconductor device layer includes a step of forming said first facets formed by first growth surfaces of said nitride-based semiconductor device layer to start from first side surfaces of said recess portions.

33. The method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor laser device according to claim 32, wherein

said step of forming said nitride-based semiconductor device layer further includes a step of forming second facets formed by second growth surfaces of said nitride-based semiconductor device layer and extending substantially perpendicular to said main surface to start from second side surfaces of said recess portions.

34. A method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting diode, comprising steps of:

forming recess portions on a main surface of a substrate; and

forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer on said main surface by having a light-emitting layer on said main surface and by including first side surfaces formed by (000-1) planes starting from first inner side surfaces of said recess portions and second side surfaces starting from second inner side surfaces of said recess portions on regions opposed to said first side surfaces on said main surface.