Gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element and method for fabricating the same

• US 5,970,080 A
• Filed: 03/03/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hata, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Bovernick, Rodney
• Assistant Examiner(s): Song, Yisun
• Application Number:
  US08/810,574
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 372/45, 372/46, 257/12, 257/22, 257/94, 257/97, 257/103
• US Class Current: 372/45.01
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2304/04 MOCVD or MOVPE
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0213 Sapphire, quartz or diamond based substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0422 with n- and p-contacts on the same side of the active layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/209 special etch stop layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/22 having a ridge or stripe structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2231 with inner confining structure only between the active layer and the upper electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32341 blue laser based on GaN or GaP

Abstract

The gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element includes: a substrate; a first semiconductor multilayer structure including, at least, an active layer, a first cladding layer of a first conductivity type, and a second cladding layer of a second conductivity type, the first and second cladding layers sandwiching the active layer therebetween; a dry etching stop layer of the second conductivity type formed on the first semiconductor multilayer structure; and a second semiconductor multilayer structure formed on the dry etching stop layer.

Claims

1. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element, comprising:

a substrate;

a first semiconductor multilayer structure formed on the substrate, comprising, at least, an active layer, a first cladding layer of a first conductivity type, a second cladding layer of a second conductivity type, the first and second cladding layers sandwiching the active layer therebetween, and an inner current blocking layer;

an InN layer of the second conductivity type formed between the second cladding layer of the second conductivity type and the inner current blocking layer; and

a second semiconductor multilayer structure formed on the InN layer.

2. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the InN is in the range of about 10 Å

to about 50 Å

.

3. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is of the first conductivity type.

4. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is non-conductive.

5. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is of the first conductivity type, and the first semiconductor multilayer structure comprises:

a buffer layer of the first conductivity type formed on the substrate;

the first cladding layer formed on the buffer layer;

the active layer formed on the first cladding layer; and

the second cladding layer formed on the active layer.

6. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is non-conductive, and the first semiconductor multilayer structure comprises:

a non-conductive first buffer layer formed on the substrate;

a second buffer layer of the first conductivity type formed on the first buffer layer;

the first cladding layer formed on the second buffer layer;

the active layer formed on the first cladding layer; and

the second cladding layer of the second conductivity type formed on the active layer.

7. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, wherein the active layer is an In_y Ga_1-y N (0≦

y<

1;

y≠

0 when x=0) layer, the first cladding layer of the first conductivity type and the second cladding layer of the second conductivity type are Al_x Ga_1-x N (0≦

x<

1) layers, and the inner current blocking layer formed on the InN layer of the second conductivity type is a GaN layer of the first conductivity type.

8. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, wherein the second semiconductor multilayer structure formed on the InN layer comprises:

the GaN inner current blocking layer of the first conductivity type having a stripe-shaped groove;

an Al_x Ga_1-x N (0≦

x<

1) third cladding layer of the second conductivity type covering the top surface of the inner current blocking layer, the stripe-shaped groove, and the top surface of the InN layer in the stripe-shaped groove; and

a GaN contact layer of the second conductivity type formed on the third cladding layer.

9. A method for fabricating a gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element, comprising the steps of:

forming, at least, an active layer, a first cladding layer of a first conductivity type, a second cladding layer of a second conductivity type, and an inner current blocking layer on a substrate, the first and second cladding layer of a first conductivity type, a second cladding layer of a second conductivity type, and an inner current blocking layer on a substrate, the first and second cladding layers sandwiching the active layer therebetween; and

forming an InN layer of the second conductivity type between the second cladding layer and the inner current blocking layer.

10. A method for fabricating a gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9, wherein the substrate is of the first conductivity type.

11. A method for fabricating a gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9, wherein the substrate is non-conductive.

12. A method for fabricating a gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9, wherein the step of forming a second semiconductor multilayer structure comprises the steps of:

forming a GaN inner current blocking layer on the InN layer;

etching the GaN inner current blocking layer down to the InN layer to form a stripe-shaped groove;

forming a Al_x Ga_1-x N (0≦

x<

1) third cladding layer of the second conductivity type to cover the top surface of the GaN current blocking layer, the stripe-shaped groove and the top surface of InN layer at the stripe-shaped groove; and

forming a contact layer of the second conductivity type on the third cladding layer.

13. A method for fabricating a gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9, wherein the active layer is an In_y Ga_1-y N (0≦

y≦

1;

y≠

0 when x=0) layer, the first cladding layer of the first conductivity type and the second cladding layer of the second conductivity type are Al_x Ga_1-x N (0≦

x<

1) layers, and the inner current blocking layer formed on the InN layer of the second conductivity type is a GaN layer of the first conductivity type.

14. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element, comprising:

a substrate; and

a semiconductor multilayer structure formed on the substrate, comprising, at least, an active layer, a first cladding layer of a first conductivity type, a second cladding layer of a second conductivity type, the first and second cladding layers sandwiching the active layer therebetween, an InN layer of the second conductivity layer, a third cladding layer of the second conductivity type, and a contact layer,

wherein the InN layer of the second conductivity type is formed between the second cladding layer of the second conductivity type and the third cladding layer of the second conductivity type.

15. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 14, wherein the active layer is an In_y Ga_1-y N (0≦

y≦

1;

y≠

0 when x=0) layer, the first cladding layer of the first conductivity type and the second cladding layer of the second conductivity type are Al_x Ga_1-x N (0≦

x<

1) layers, and the third cladding layer formed on the InN layer of the second conductivity type and the contact layer are Al_x Ga_1-x N (0≦

x<

1) layers.

16. A gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 14, wherein the semiconductor multilayer structure is of a stripe-shaped ridge where the Al_x Ga_1-x N second cladding layer of the second conductivity type, the InN layer of the second conductivity type, the Al_x Ga_1-x N third cladding layer of the second conductivity type, and the contact layer constitute a ridge portion, and the Al_x Ga_1-x N second cladding layer of the second conductivity type constitute side portions of the ridge portion.

17. A method for fabricating a gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element, comprising:

forming, at least, an active layer, a first cladding layer of a first conductivity type, a second cladding layer of a second conductivity type, a third cladding layer of the second conductivity type, and a contact layer of the second conductivity type on a substrate, the first and second cladding layers sandwiching the active layer therebetween;

forming a InN layer of the second conductivity type between the second cladding layer and the third cladding layer.

18. A method for fabricating a gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 17, wherein the active layer is an In_y Ga_1-y N (0≦

y<

1;

y≠

0 when x=0) layer, the first cladding layer of the first conductivity type and the second cladding layer of the second conductivity type are Al_x Ga_1-x N (0≦

x<

1) layers, and the third cladding layer formed on the InN layer of the second conductivity type and the contact layer are Al_x Ga_1-x N (0≦

x<

1) layers.

19. A method for fabricating a gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 17, further comprising:

etching the third cladding layer and the contact layer down to the InN layer to form a stripe-shaped ridge so as to the stripe-shaped ridge has a ridge portion nd a side portions of the ridge portion,

wherein the ridge portion is constituted from the Al_x Ga_1-x N second cladding layer of the second conductivity type and the InN layer of the second conductivity type, the Al_x Ga_1-x N third cladding layer of the second conductivity type, and the contact layer; and

the side portions of the ridge portion are constituted from the Al_x Ga_1-x N second cladding layer of the second conductivity type and the InN layer of the second conductivity type.

20. A method for fabricating a gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 17, wherein the substrate is of the first conductivity type.

21. A method for fabricating a gallium nitride compound semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 17, wherein the substrate is non-conductive.