METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PHOTONIC CRYSTAL AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SURFACE-EMITTING LASER

• US 20130252360A1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoshino, Katsuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,962,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/32
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02389 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02603 Nanowires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02639 Preparation of substrate for selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02647 Lateral overgrowth
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2304/00 Special growth methods for semiconductor lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/11 Comprising a photonic bandgap structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/183 having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/30 Structure or shape of the active region; Materials used for the active region
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser

Abstract

Provided is a method of manufacturing a photonic crystal, including: a first step of forming, on a surface of a substrate, a protective mask for selective growth, the protective mask having an opening pattern opened therein; a second step of selectively growing a columnar semiconductor from an exposed portion of the surface of the substrate not having the mask formed thereon, laterally overgrowing the semiconductor layer on the mask, and embedding the mask; a third step of forming a photonic crystal in the semiconductor layer so that openings in the opening pattern and the one of pores and grooves which form the photonic crystal are at least partly overlapped each other when seen from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate; a fourth step of removing at least part of the columnar semiconductor; and a fifth step of removing at least part of the mask.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a photonic crystal formed by periodically arranging media having different refractive indices, the media including a semiconductor layer and one of pores and grooves, the method comprising:

a first step of forming, on a surface of a substrate, a protective mask for selective growth, the protective mask having an opening pattern opened therein;

a second step of selectively growing a columnar semiconductor from an exposed portion of the surface of the substrate not having the protective mask formed thereon, laterally overgrowing the semiconductor layer on the protective mask, and embedding the protective mask;

a third step of forming a photonic crystal in the semiconductor layer so that openings in the opening pattern and the one of pores and grooves which form the photonic crystal are at least partly overlapped each other when seen from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate;

a fourth step of removing at least part of the columnar semiconductor; and

a fifth step of removing at least part of the protective mask.

2. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein the opening pattern has a period which is coincident with one of a period of the pores and a period of the grooves.

3. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein the openings in the opening pattern have a size which is equal to or smaller than one of a diameter of the pores and a width of the grooves.

4. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein every opening in the opening pattern is arranged so as to be within one of any one of the pores and any one of the grooves when seen from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.

5. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein:

the semiconductor layer and the substrate are formed of a semiconductor having conductivity;

any one of the substrate and the semiconductor layer includes an active layer;

the opening pattern includes a first opening pattern and a second opening pattern;

the first opening pattern is an opening pattern for forming the semiconductor layer;

the second opening pattern is an opening pattern for forming a structure for injecting current into the active layer;

the third step comprises forming the photonic crystal so that the first opening pattern other than the second opening pattern and the one of pores and grooves are at least partly overlapped each other when seen from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate; and

the fourth step comprises removing at least part of the columnar semiconductor formed in regions of the first opening pattern.

6. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 5, wherein the first opening pattern has a period which is coincident with one of a period of the pores and a period of the grooves.

7. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 5, wherein the openings in the first opening pattern have a size which is equal to or smaller than one of a diameter of the pores and a width of the grooves.

8. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 5, wherein every opening in the first opening pattern is arranged so as to be within one of any one of the pores and any one of the grooves when seen from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.

9. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein the fourth step comprises forming a cavity in at least part of a region below the photonic crystal by removing at least part of the columnar semiconductor via the one of pores and grooves.

10. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein the fifth step comprises forming a cavity in at least part of a region below the photonic crystal by removing at least part of the protective mask via the one of pores and grooves.

11. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein the protective mask is formed of any one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, zirconium oxide, and titanium oxide.

12. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein the removing of the protective mask is carried out by wet etching.

13. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein the photonic crystal is formed of a nitride semiconductor.

14. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein the photonic crystal is a two-dimensional photonic crystal.

15. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1, wherein the photonic crystal is a one-dimensional photonic crystal.

16. The method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 15, wherein the photonic crystal is a high contrast grating.

17. A method of manufacturing a surface-emitting laser, the method comprising manufacturing a surface-emitting laser formed of a photonic crystal by the method of manufacturing a photonic crystal according to claim 1.

18. The method of manufacturing a surface-emitting laser according to claim 17, wherein the photonic crystal is a two-dimensional photonic crystal.

19. The method of manufacturing a surface-emitting laser according to claim 17, wherein the photonic crystal is a high contrast grating.