Method of fabricating GaN semiconductor structures using laser-assisted epitaxial liftoff

• US 6,455,340 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Chua, Christopher L., Bour, David P., Kneissl, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAUDHARI, CHANDRA P
• Application Number:
  US10/024,236
• Time in Patent Office: 277 Days
• Field of Search: 438/22, 438/29, 438/31, 438/37, 438/39, 438/41, 438/46, 438/47
• US Class Current: 438/31
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0093 Wafer bonding; Removal of the growth substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/105 with a resonant cavity structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/465 with a resonant cavity structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0213 Sapphire, quartz or diamond based substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0215 Bonding to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0217 Removal of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18341 Intra-cavity contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18369 based on dielectric materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser

Abstract

A method is provided for fabricating a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure with a first distributed Bragg reflector on a sapphire substrate, a second substrate bonded to the first distributed Bragg reflector, the sapphire substrate removed by laser-assisted epitaxial lift-off, and fabricating a second Bragg reflector on the semiconductor structure opposite the first distributed Bragg reflector. The nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure can be a VCSEL, LED or photodetector, or a combination of said devices.

Claims

1. A method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure comprising the steps of:

depositing a laser absorption layer on a transparent substrate;

depositing a plurality of III-V nitride semiconductor layers on said laser absorption layer, said plurality of III-V nitride semiconductor layers forming a resonant cavity, at least one of said plurality of III-V nitride semiconductor layers forms an active region;

depositing a first distributed Bragg reflector on said plurality of III-V nitride semiconductor layers;

attaching a support substrate to said first distributed Bragg reflector;

removing said transparent substrate and said laser absorption layer from said plurality of III-V nitride semiconductor layers;

depositing a second distributed Bragg reflector on said plurality of III-V nitride semiconductor layers, opposite said first distributed Bragg reflector;

etching said plurality of III-V nitride semiconductor layers to expose two contact layers; and

forming electrodes on said two contact layers to bias said active region.

2. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the step of removing said transparent substrate and said laser absorption layer includes exposing said laser absorption layer to laser light which dissolves said laser absorption layer.

3. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 2 wherein the step of removing said transparent substrate and said laser absorption layer includes polishing of said transparent substrate prior to exposure to laser light.

4. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 2 wherein said transparent substrate is sapphire and said laser absorption layer is indium gallium nitride.

5. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

depositing a gallium nitride layer on said sapphire substrate, and

depositing said indium gallium nitride layer on said gallium nitride layer.

6. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said support substrate is silicon.

7. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said support substrate is copper.

8. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

depositing a gold layer on said first distributed Bragg reflector; and

attaching said support substrate to said gold layer.

9. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

10. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 9 wherein a sufficient forward bias is applied to said active region to cause lasing from said resonant cavity through a surface of said semiconductor laser structure.

11. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure is a light emitting diode.

12. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 11 wherein a sufficient forward bias is applied to said active region to cause light emission from said resonant cavity through a surface of said semiconductor laser structure.

13. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein said nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure is a photodetector.

14. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 13 wherein a sufficient reverse bias is applied to said active region to cause light absorption from said resonant cavity.

15. The method for making a nitride based resonant cavity semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein a plurality of resonant cavities are formed, said plurality of resonant cavities being at least two of said group or vertical cavity surface emitting laser, light emitting diode and photodetector.