HIGH-QUALITY NON-POLAR/SEMI-POLAR SEMICONDUCTOR ELEMENT ON TILT SUBSTRATE AND FABRICATION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120145991A1
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Korea Polytechnic University Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation, Seoul Viosys Co., Ltd. (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Seoul Optodevice Company Limited (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nam, Ok Hyun, Jang, Jong Jin
• Application Number:
  US13/392,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20120145991A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/13
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen

Abstract

Provided are a high-quality non-polar/semi-polar semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof. A template layer is formed on a corresponding off-axis of the sapphire crystal plane tilted in a predetermined direction to reduce the defect density of the semiconductor device and improve the internal quantum efficiency and light extraction efficiency thereof. In the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device, a template layer and a semiconductor device structure are formed on a sapphire substrate having a crystal plane for growing a non-polar or semi-polar nitride semiconductor layer. The crystal plane of the sapphire substrate is tilted in a predetermined direction, and the template layer includes a nitride semiconductor layer and a GaN layer on the tilted sapphire substrate.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

forming a sapphire substrate having a tilted crystal plane; and

forming a template layer on the sapphire substrate, the template layer comprising a nitride semiconductor layer and a GaN layer.

2. A semiconductor device manufactured by the manufacturing method of claim 1.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the crystal plane of the sapphire substrate includes an A-plane, an M-plane, or an R-plane.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the crystal plane of the sapphire substrate is an A-plane, an M-plane, or an R-plane, and is tilted in an A-direction, an M-direction, an R-direction, or a C-direction.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the crystal plane of the sapphire substrate is tilted in a range of 0 to 10 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the nitride semiconductor layer includes an In_xAl_yGa_1-x-yN layer (0≦

x≦

1, 0≦

y≦

1, 0≦

x+y≦

1).

7. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the semiconductor device comprises a light emitting diode (LED) including an active layer between an n-type nitride semiconductor layer and a p-type nitride semiconductor layer.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 2, wherein the semiconductor device comprises an optical device including a light emitting diode, a laser diode, a photo detector, or a solar cell, or comprises an electronic device including a transistor.

9. A semiconductor device, comprising:

a sapphire substrate with a tilted crystal plane; and

a template layer disposed on the sapphire substrate, the template layer comprising a nitride semiconductor layer and a GaN layer on the sapphire substrate.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 9, further comprising:

a light emitting diode (LED) layer disposed on the template layer.

11. The semiconductor device of claim 9, wherein the crystal plane of the sapphire substrate includes an A-plane, an M-plane, or an R-plane.

12. The semiconductor device of claim 9, wherein the crystal plane of the sapphire substrate is an A-plane, an M-plane, or an R-plane, and is tilted in an A-direction, an M-direction, an R-direction, or a C-direction.

13. The semiconductor device of claim 9, wherein the crystal plane of the sapphire substrate is tilted in a range of 0 to 10 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane.

14. The semiconductor device of claim 9, wherein the nitride semiconductor layer includes an In_xAl_yGa_1-x-yN layer (0≦

x≦

1, 0≦

y≦

1, 0≦

x+y≦

1).

15. The semiconductor device of claim 9, wherein the semiconductor device comprises a light emitting diode (LED) including an active layer between an n-type nitride semiconductor layer and a p-type nitride semiconductor layer.

16. The semiconductor device of claim 9, wherein the semiconductor device comprises an optical device including a light emitting diode, a laser diode, a photo detector, or a solar cell, or comprises an electronic device including a transistor.

17. The semiconductor device of claim 10, wherein the LED layer comprises:

an n-type nitride semiconductor layer disposed on the template layer;

an active layer disposed on the n-type nitride semiconductor layer; and

a p-type nitride semiconductor layer disposed on the active layer.

18. The semiconductor device of claim 17, wherein the active layer comprises:

a multi quantum well (MQW) layer; and

an electron blocking layer (EBL) disposed on the MQW layer.

19. The semiconductor device of claim 18, wherein the MQW layer comprises a GaN barrier layer and an InGaN well layer.