Compound semiconductor device with nitride

• US 5,693,963 A
• Filed: 09/11/1995
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masahiro, Ishikawa, Masayuki, Fujimoto, Hidetoshi, Sugawara, Hideto, Nitta, Koichi, Kokubun, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): MINTEL, WILLIAM A
• Application Number:
  US08/526,700
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 257/102, 257/103, 257/94, 257/95, 257/96, 257/97
• US Class Current: 257/94
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/325 characterised by the doping materials

Abstract

A light emitting diode is arranged on a sapphire substrate. The light emitting diode includes an n-GaN layer, an n-InGaN light-emitting layer, a p-AlGaN layer and a P-GaN layer, which are grown through vapor phase growth in this sequence. Within the p-GaN layer and p-AlGaN layer, 1×10²⁰ cm^-3 of Mg and 2×10¹⁹ cm^-3 of Mg are contained, respectively. Within each of the n-GaN layer and n-InGaN light-emitting layer, 5×10¹⁸ cm^-3 of hydrogen is contained, thereby preventing Mg from diffusing therein from the p-GaN layer and p-AlGaN layer.

Claims

1. A compound semiconductor device comprising:

a crystal substrate; and

a first semiconductor film composed of an n-type nitride compound supported by said substrate and formed through vapor phase growth,

wherein said first semiconductor film contains at least one of 1×

10¹⁵ cm^-3 to 1×

10¹⁷ cm^-3 of magnesium and 1×

10¹⁵ cm^-3 -1×

10¹⁷ cm^-3 of zinc so as to improve a shift from its three-dimensional growth to its two-dimensional growth.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a second semiconductor film composed of at least one p- and i-type nitride compound, supported by said substrate and formed through vapor phase growth and containing magnesium, wherein said second semiconductor film contains 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 8×

10¹⁷ cm^-3 of silicon so as to facilitate etching thereof.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a second semiconductor film composed of at least one of p- and i-type nitride compound, supported by said substrate and formed through vapor phase growth and containing magnesium, wherein said first and second semiconductor films are mutually laminated, and said first semiconductor film contains 3×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 to 1×

10²⁰ cm^-3 of hydrogen so as to prevent magnesium from diffusing thereinto from said second semiconductor film.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein said first and second semiconductor films are mutually laminated, and said first semiconductor film contains 3×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 to 1×

10²⁰ cm^-3 of hydrogen so as to prevent magnesium from diffusing thereinto from said second semiconductor film.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein said device includes a plurality of semiconductor films each composed of nitride compound and constituting a light-emitting diode supported by said substrate, and said first and second semiconductor films are two of said plurality of semiconductor films.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein each of said plurality of semiconductor films contains at least one of 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 5×

10¹⁷ cm^-3 of carbon, 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 to 1×

10²⁰ cm^-3 of oxygen, 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 of selenium, and 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 of sulfur so as to fill nitrogen vacancies thereof.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein each of said plurality of semiconductor films is composed of a material selected from a group consisting of GaN, InGaN and InGaAlN.

8. A compound semiconductor device comprising:

a crystal substrate; and

a first semiconductor film composed of nitride compound, supported by said substrate and formed through vapor phase growth,

wherein said first semiconductor film contains at least one of 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 5×

10¹⁷ cm^-3 of carbon, 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 to 1×

10²⁰ cm^-3 of oxygen, 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 of selenium, and 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 1×

10¹⁸ cm-3 of sulfur so as to fill nitrogen vacancies thereof.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein said device includes a plurality of semiconductor films each composed of nitride compound and constituting a light-emitting diode supported by said substrate, and said first semiconductor film is one of said plurality of semiconductor films.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein each of said plurality of semiconductor films is composed of a material selected from a group consisting of GaN, InGaN and InGaAlN.

11. A compound semiconductor device comprising:

a crystal substrate; and

a second semiconductor film composed of at least one of p- and i-type nitride compound supported by said substrate and formed through vapor phase growth and containing magnesium,

wherein said second semiconductor film contains 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 8×

10¹⁷ cm^-3 of silicon so as to facilitate etching thereof.

12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising a first semiconductor film composed of at least one of n- and i-type nitride compound supported by said substrate and formed through vapor phase growth, wherein said first and second semiconductor films are mutually laminated, and said first semiconductor film contains 3×

10.sup.˜

cm^-3 to 1×

10²⁰ cm^-3 of hydrogen so as to prevent magnesium from diffusing thereinto from said second semiconductor film.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein said device includes a plurality of semiconductor films each composed of nitride compound and constituting a light-emitting diode supported by said substrate, and said first and second semiconductor films are two of said plurality of semiconductor films.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of semiconductor films contains at least one of 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 5×

10¹⁷ cm^-3 of carbon, 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 to 1×

10²⁰ cm^-3 of oxygen, 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 of selenium, and 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 of sulfur so as to fill nitrogen vacancies thereof.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein each of said plurality of semiconductor films is composed of a material selected from a group consisting of GaN, InGaN and InGaAlN.

16. A compound semiconductor device comprising:

a crystal substrate; and

first and second semiconductor films supported by said substrate and mutually laminated, said first semiconductor film being composed of at least one of n- and i-type nitride compound, formed through vapor phase growth, said second semiconductor film being composed of at least one of p- and i-type nitride compound containing magnesium,

wherein said first semiconductor film contains 3×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 to 1×

10²⁰ cm^-3 of hydrogen so as to prevent magnesium from diffusing thereinto from said second semiconductor film.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein said second semiconductor film contains 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 8×

10¹⁷ cm^-3 of silicon so as to facilitate etching thereof.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein said device includes a plurality of semiconductor films each composed of nitride compound and constituting a light-emitting diode supported by said substrate, and said first and second semiconductor films are two of said plurality of semiconductor films.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein each of said plurality of semiconductor films contains at least one of 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 5×

10¹⁷ cm^-3 of carbon, 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 to 1×

10²⁰ cm^-3 of oxygen, 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 of selenium, and 1×

10¹⁶ cm^-3 to 1×

10¹⁸ cm^-3 of sulfur so as to fill nitrogen vacancies thereof.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein each of said plurality of semiconductor films is composed of a material selected from a group consisting of GaN, InGaN and InGaAlN.