Method of forming nitride-based semiconductor layer, and method of manufacturing nitride-based semiconductor device

• US 6,821,807 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2001
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Epistar Corporation (Ennostar, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kano, Takashi, Hayashi, Nobuhiko, Ohbo, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mulpuri, Savitri
• Application Number:
  US09/941,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20020048836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 438/22-47, 438/479-509
• US Class Current: 438/46
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0237 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02505 consisting of more than two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• 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 5/32341 blue laser based on GaN or GaP

Abstract

In the manufacture of a semiconductor laser device, a low temperature buffer layer is grown on a sapphire substrate at a growth rate of 25 to 30 Å/sec. On the low temperature buffer layer, an n-GaN layer, a anti-crack layer, an n-cladding layer, an n-guide layer, an MQW active layer, a p-carrier blocking layer, a p-guide layer, a p-cladding layer and a p-contact layer are grown in this order. The growth of the low temperature buffer layer at the high growth rate allows a good low temperature buffer layer to be stably provided with good reproducibility. Thus, good crystallinity and electrical characteristics can stably be provided in the above layers.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor device, comprising the steps of:

growing a buffer layer of Al_XGa_1XN (α

≦

X≦

1) on a substrate at a growth rate in the range from 25 Å

/sec to 42 Å

/sec; and

growing a nitride-based semiconductor layer including an active device region on said buffer layer and made of Al_aB_bIn_cTl_dGa<sub>1−

a−

b−

c−

d</sub>N (0≦

a<

1, 0≦

b≦

1, 0≦

c<

1, 0≦

d<

1, a+b+c+d<

1) on said buffer layer, wherein

said step of growing the buffer layer comprises growing said buffer layer to have a film thickness in the range from 50 Å

to 300 Å

.

2. The method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

said step of growing the buffer layer comprises growing said buffer layer at a growth rate in the range from 25 Å /sec to 29 Å

/sec.

3. The method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

said step of growing the nitride-based semiconductor layer comprises forming as said active device region a light emitting layer or an active layer in a semiconductor light emitting device, a core layer in a waveguide device, an I layer in a PIN photodiode, a pn junction portion in a photodiode or a hetero-junction bipolar transistor or a channel portion in a field effect transistor.

4. The method of manufacturing a nitride-based semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein

said step of growing the nitride-based semiconductor layer comprises forming a cladding layer of a first conductivity type, an active layer and a cladding layer of a second conductivity type in this order.