STRUCTURE FOR GROWTH OF NITRIDE SEMICONDUCTOR LAYER, STACKED STRUCTURE, NITRIDE-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR ELEMENT, LIGHT SOURCE, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR SAME

• US 20140077223A1
• Filed: 11/20/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: CHOE, Songbaek, YOKOGAWA, Toshiya, INOUE, Akira, YAMADA, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,928,004 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/76
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/04 Pattern deposit, e.g. by using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/18 characterised by the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0243 Surface structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02433 Crystal orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02609 Crystal orientation
• 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 21/02642 Mask materials other than SiO2 or SiN
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0265 Pendeoepitaxy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/20 Deposition of semiconductor materials on a substrate, e.g. epitaxial growth solid phase epitaxy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/14 of a plurality of bump connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/12 with a stress relaxation structure, e.g. buffer layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/18 within the light emitting region
• 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 33/58 : Optical field-shaping elements

Abstract

A structure for growth of a nitride semiconductor layer which is disclosed in this application includes: a sapphire substrate of which growing plane is an m-plane; and a plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers provided on the growing plane of the sapphire substrate, wherein a bottom surface of a recessed portion provided between respective ones of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers is the m-plane of the sapphire substrate, the growing plane of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers is an m-plane, and an absolute value of an angle between an extending direction of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers and a c-axis of the sapphire substrate is not less than 0° and not more than 35°.

Claims

1. A structure for growth of a nitride semiconductor layer, comprising:

a sapphire substrate having a growing plane which is an m-plane; and

a plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers formed on the growing plane of the sapphire substrate,

wherein a bottom surface of a recessed portion provided between respective ones of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers is the m-plane of the sapphire substrate,

a growing plane of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers is an m-plane, and

an absolute value of an angle between an extending direction of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers and a c-axis of the sapphire substrate is not less than 0° and

not more than 35°

.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the absolute value of the angle is greater than 0°

.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein an angle inside the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers between a lateral surface which is parallel to the extending direction of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers and the m-plane is greater than 0°

and smaller than 150°

.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein a depth of the bottom surface relative to an interface between the sapphire substrate and the nitride semiconductor layers is more than 0 nm and not more than 150 nm.

5. The structure of claim 1, wherein an angle between the extending direction of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers and the c-axis of the sapphire substrate is not less than 0°

and not more than 10°

.

6. The structure of claim 1, wherein a value of S width/(L width+S width) is not less than 0.6 and less than 1,

where L width represents a width of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers at a base, and

S width represents a width of the recessed portions at a bottom surface.

7. The structure of claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers is not provided with a mask.

8. The structure of claim 6, wherein

the L width is not less than 0.1 μ

m and not more than 10 μ

m,

the S width is not less than 0.15 μ

m and not more than 30 μ

m, and

the value of S width/(L width+S width) is not less than 0.6 and not more than 0.996.

9. The structure of claim 6, wherein

the L width is not less than 0.1 μ

m and not more than 10 μ

m,

the S width is not less than 30 μ

m and not more than 300 μ

m, and

the value of S width/(L width+S width) is not less than 0.75 and less than 1.

10. The structure of claim 6, wherein

the L width is not less than 1 μ

m and not more than 5 μ

m,

the S width is not less than 30 μ

m and not more than 300 μ

m, and

the value of S width/(L width+S width) is not less than 0.857 and less than 1.

11. The structure of claim 1, further comprising a buffer layer provided between the growing plane of the sapphire substrate and the ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers, the buffer layer being formed of Al_xGa_yIn_zN, where 0≦

x, y, z≦

1, x+y+z=1.

12. The structure of claim 11, wherein the buffer layer is not present on a bottom surface or lateral surface of the recessed portions.

13. The structure of claim 11, wherein the buffer layer is formed of AlN.

14. A multilayer structure, comprising:

the structure for growth of a nitride semiconductor layer as set forth in claim 1; and

a nitride semiconductor layer which is in contact with the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers in the structure for growth of a nitride semiconductor layer.

15. A multilayer structure, comprising:

the structure for growth of a nitride semiconductor layer as set forth in claim 1; and

a nitride semiconductor layer which is in contact with an upper surface of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers in the structure for growth of a nitride semiconductor layer.

16. A nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device comprising the structure for growth of a nitride semiconductor layer as set forth in claim 1.

17. A light source, comprising:

the nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device as set forth in claim 16; and

a wavelength converter including a phosphoric material which is capable of converting a wavelength of light emitted from the nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device.

18. A method for fabricating a multilayer structure, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a sapphire substrate having a growing plane which is an m-plane;

(b) growing a nitride semiconductor film on the growing plane of the sapphire substrate;

(c) forming a plurality of recessed portions so as to penetrate through the nitride semiconductor film, thereby forming a plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers; and

(d) growing a nitride semiconductor layer such that the growth starts from the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers,

wherein in the step (c), the plurality of recessed portions are formed such that a bottom surface of the plurality of recessed portions is the m-plane of the sapphire substrate, the growing plane of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers is an m-plane, and an absolute value of an angle between an extending direction of the plurality of ridge-shaped nitride semiconductor layers and a c-axis of the sapphire substrate is not less than 0° and

not more than 35°

.