SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT EMITTING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20120223355A1
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Asakawa, Koji, Fujimoto, Akira, Kitagawa, Ryota, Masunaga, Kumi, Kamakura, Takanobu, Nunotani, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 9,159,880 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/99
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0016 relating to electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0025 comprising only AIIIBV compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0093 Wafer bonding; Removal of the growth substrate
• 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: H01L 33/38 with a particular shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/382 the electrode extending partially in or entirely through the semiconductor body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/40 Materials therefor

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor light emitting device includes a structure, a first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer. The structure includes a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer and a light emitting layer provided between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer. The first electrode layer is provided on the first semiconductor layer side of the structure. The first electrode layer is made of metal and contains a portion contacting the first semiconductor layer. The second electrode layer is provided on the second semiconductor layer side of the structure. The second electrode layer has a metal portion with a thickness of not less than 10 nanometers and not more than 50 nanometers, and a plurality of openings piercing the metal portion, each of the openings having an equivalent circle diameter of not less than 10 nanometers and not more than 5 micrometers.

Claims

1. A semiconductor light emitting device comprising:

a structure including a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type and a light emitting layer provided between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer;

a first electrode layer provided on the first semiconductor layer side of the structure, the first electrode layer being made of metal and containing a portion contacting the first semiconductor layer.

a second electrode layer provided on the second semiconductor layer side of the structure, the second electrode layer including a metal portion with a thickness of not less than 10 nanometers and not more than 50 nanometers along a direction from the first semiconductor layer toward the second semiconductor layer, and a plurality of openings piercing the metal portion, each of the openings viewed in the direction having an equivalent circle diameter of not less than 10 nanometers and not more than 5 micrometers.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first semiconductor layer, the second semiconductor layer and the light emitting layer contains a nitride semiconductor.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the first electrode layer along the direction is not less than 1 micrometer.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode layer is formed by plating.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a support substrate provided on the first semiconductor layer side of the structure and including a through hole along the direction, the first electrode layer contacts the first semiconductor layer via the through hole.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the metal portion contains at least one of gold and silver.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the metal portion contains at least one of Al, Zn, Zr, Si, Ge, Pt, Rh, Ni, Pd, Cu, Sn, C, Mg, Cr, Te, Se, and Ti.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the equivalent circle diameter of the openings is not more than ½

of a center wavelength of the light emitted by the light emitting layer.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode layer is in ohmic contact with the second semiconductor layer.

10. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor light emitting device comprising:

forming a structure including a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type and a light emitting layer provided between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer on a substrate;

forming, a metal layer on the second semiconductor layer with a thickness of not less than 10 nanometers and not more than 50 nanometers along a direction from the first semiconductor layer toward the second semiconductor layer;

forming a mask pattern on the metal layer;

forming a second electrode including a plurality of openings by etching the metal layer with the mask pattern, each of the openings viewed in the direction having an equivalent circle diameter of not less than 10 nanometers and not more than 5 micrometers; and

forming a first electrode on the first semiconductor layer side of the structure after separating the structure from the substrate,

the first electrode layer being made of metal and containing a portion contacting the first semiconductor layer.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the mask pattern made of a resist film is formed on the metal layer and includes a plurality of concaves formed by pressing concave-convexes of a stamper into the resist film.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the mask pattern made of a resist film is formed on the metal layer and includes a plurality of openings formed by irradiating the resist film with an electron beam or light and subsequently developing.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the mask pattern made of a block copolymer film is formed on the metal layer and includes a plurality of openings formed by removing one phase of the block copolymer film after micro phase separation of the block copolymer film.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the mask pattern made of a resin film is on the metal layer and includes a plurality of openings formed by removing nanoparticles in the resin film after fixing the single layer of nanoparticles with resin.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the metal layer includes at least one of gold and silver.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the metal layer includes at least one of Al, Zn, Zr, Si, Ge, Pt, Rh, Ni, Pd, Cu, Sn, C, Mg, Cr, Te, Se, and Ti.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the equivalent circle diameter of the openings is not more than ½

of a center wavelength of the light emitted by the light emitting layer.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the second electrode layer is in ohmic contact with the second semiconductor layer.

19. The method according to claim 10, wherein a compound that includes a block copolymer is applied on the metal layer for forming the mask pattern, and a microdomain pattern is generated by phase separation of the block copolymer.

20. The method according to claim 10, wherein the forming of the mask pattern comprises;

forming a resist film on the metal layer;

forming a single particle layer of nanoparticles on a top surface of the resist film; and

etching the resist film using the single particle layer as a mask to form a plurality of openings.