Nitride semiconductor growth method, nitride semiconductor substrate, and nitride semiconductor device

• US 7,083,679 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2001
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nichia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nichia Corporation
• Inventors: Nakamura, Shuji, Chocho, Kazuyuki, Kiyoku, Hiroyuki, Kozaki, Tokuya, Iwasa, Naruhito
• Primary Examiner(s): HITESHEW, FELISA CARLA
• Application Number:
  US09/986,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20020046693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 117/95, 117/97, 117/84, 117/88, 117/89, 117/91, 117/101, 117/102, 117/104, 117/105, 117/952, 117/106, 117/90, 117/94, 117/937
• US Class Current: 117/101
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/042 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/303 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/02 Epitaxial-layer growth
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/40 AIIIBV compounds wherein A is B, Al, Ga, In or Tl and B is N, P, As, Sb or Bi
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/406 Gallium nitride
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0237 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02433 Crystal orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02502 consisting of two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02576 N-type
• 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 21/02647 Lateral overgrowth
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/173 : The laser chip comprising special buffer layers, e.g. dislocation prevention or reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2304/12 : Pendeo epitaxial lateral overgrowth [ELOG], e.g. for growing GaN based blue laser diodes
• 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 5/2201 : in a specific crystallographic orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32025 : non-polar orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3211 : characterised by special cladding layers, e.g. details on band-discontinuities
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3216 : quantum well or superlattice cladding layers
• 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 of growing a nitride semiconductor crystal which has very few crystal defects and can be used as a substrate is disclosed. This invention includes the step of forming a first selective growth mask on a support member including a dissimilar substrate having a major surface and made of a material different from a nitride semiconductor, the first selective growth mask having a plurality of first windows for selectively exposing the upper surface of the support member, and the step of growing nitride semiconductor portions from the upper surface, of the support member, which is exposed from the windows, by using a gaseous Group 3 element source and a gaseous nitrogen source, until the nitride semiconductor portions grown in the adjacent windows combine with each other on the upper surface of the selective growth mask.

Claims

1. A nitride semiconductor growth method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a first selective growth mask on a support member made up of a dissimilar substrate made of a material different from a nitride semiconductor and having a major surface, and an underlayer made of a nitride semiconductor formed on the major surface of the dissimilar substrate having an off-angled major surface from the horizontal plane, wherein the off-angled major surface of the dissimilar substrate has an off-angle which is less than 1°

, and wherein said off-angled major surface is formed stepwise such that the substrate has substantially horizontal terrace portions and stepped portions, said first selective growth mask having a plurality of first windows selectively exposing an upper surface of the underlayer of the support member;

(b) growing first nitride semiconductor portions from the upper surface portions of the underlayer which are exposed from the windows, until the first nitride semiconductor portions grown in the adjacent windows combine with each other on an upper surface of said selective growth mask;

(c) forming a second selective growth mask on the first nitride semiconductor portions grown in the step (b), said second selective growth mask having a plurality of second windows selectively exposing upper surfaces of the first nitride semiconductor portions;

(d) growing second nitride semiconductor portions from the upper surfaces of the first nitride semiconductor portions which are exposed from the second windows, until the second nitride semiconductor portions grown in adjacent windows combine with each other on an upper surface of said second selective growth mask to form a nitride semiconductor substrate; and

(e) growing nitride semiconductor layers including an active layer over the semiconductor substrate.

2. A nitride semiconductor growth method according to claim 1, wherein the second selective growth mask is positioned to cover the first windows of the first selective growth mask.

3. A nitride semiconductor growth method according to claim 1, wherein the first nitride semiconductor portions and second nitride semiconductor portions are nitride semiconductor crystals grown laterally on the corresponding selective growth mask.

4. A nitride semiconductor growth method according to claim 1, wherein the dissimilar substrate is one selected from the group consisting of a sapphire having the C plane, the R plane, or the A plane as a major surface, spinel, SiC, ZnS, GaAs, Si, ZnO, and La_xSr_1-xAl_yTa_1-yO₃.

5. A nitride semiconductor growth method according to claim 1, wherein the nitride semiconductor is a light-emitting diode or laser diode device.

6. A nitride semiconductor growth method according to claim 1, wherein said step of growing nitride semiconductor layers including said active layer over the nitride semiconductor substrate includes forming said active layer to include indium.

7. A nitride semiconductor growth method according to claim 1, wherein said step of growing nitride semiconductor layers including said active layer over the nitride semiconductor substrate further comprises steps of:

forming a buffer layer in contact with the nitride semiconductor substrate, the buffer layer being a distorted superlattice structure formed by alternately stacking first and second nitride semiconductor layers having different compositions.

8. A nitride semiconductor growth method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of doping said nitride semiconductor substrate with an n-type impurity.

9. A nitride semiconductor growth method according to claim 8, wherein the n-type impurity is one element selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Sn, and S.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the off-angled major surface forms C plane.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the off-angle with respect to the major surface of the dissimilar substrate is 0.6°

or less.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the dissimilar substrate is a sapphire substrate having a C plane as a major surface.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of the terrace portions being adjusted to 0.5 angstroms to 2 angstroms, each of the stepped portions being adjusted to 2 angstroms to 30 angstroms.

22. A method according to claim 1, wherein the stepped portions are substantially lateral to the substantially horizontal terrace portions and wherein the off-angle is the angle defined by a straight line connecting a bottom portion of a plurality of stepped portions and the horizontal plane of the uppermost terrace portions of the dissimilar substrate.

14. A nitride semiconductor substrate growth method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a first selective growth mask on a support member made up of a dissimilar substrate made of a material different from a nitride semiconductor and having a major surface, and an underlayer made of a nitride semiconductor formed on the major surface of the dissimilar substrate having an off-angled major surface from the horizontal plane, wherein the off-angled major surface of the dissimilar substrate has an off angle which is less than 1°

, and wherein said off-angled major surface is formed stepwise such that the substrate has substantially horizontal terrace portions and stepped portions, said first selective growth mask having a plurality of first windows selectively exposing an upper surface of the underlayer of the support member;

(b) growing first nitride semiconductor portions from the upper surface portions of the underlayer, which are exposed from the windows, until the first nitride semiconductor portions grown in the adjacent windows combine with each other, on an upper surface of said selective growth mask;

(c) forming a second selective growth mask on the first nitride semiconductor portion grown in the step (b), said second selective growth mask having a plurality of second windows selectively exposing upper surfaces of the first nitride semiconductor portions; and

(d) growing second nitride semiconductor portions from the upper surfaces of the first nitride semiconductor portions, which are exposed from the second windows, until the second nitride semiconductor portions grown in the adjacent windows combine with each other on an upper surface of said second selective growth mask.

15. A nitride semiconductor substrate growth method according to claim 14, wherein the second selective growth mask is positioned to cover the first windows of the first selective growth mask.

16. A nitride semiconductor substrate growth method according to claim 14, wherein the first nitride semiconductor portions and second nitride semiconductor portions are nitride semiconductor crystals grown laterally on the corresponding selective growth mask.

17. A nitride semiconductor substrate growth method according to claim 14, wherein the dissimilar substrate is one selected from the group consisting of a sapphire hiving the C plane, the R plane, or the A plane as a major surface, spinel, SiC, ZnS, GaAs, Si, ZnO, and La_xSr_1-xAl_yTa_{1-y O3}.

18. A method according to claim 14, wherein the off-angled major surface forms C plane.

19. A method according to claim 14, wherein the off-angle with respect to the major surface of the dissimilar substrate is 0.6°

or less.

20. A method according to claim 14, wherein the dissimilar substrate is a sapphire substrate having a C plane as a major surface.

21. A method according to claim 14, wherein each of the terrace portions being adjusted to 0.5 angstroms to 2 angstroms, each of the stepped portions being adjusted to 2 angstroms to 30 angstroms.

23. A method according to claim 14, wherein the stepped portions are substantially lateral to the substantially horizontal terrace portions and wherein the off-angle is the angle defined by a straight line connecting a bottom portion of a plurality of stepped portions and the horizontal plane of the uppermost terrace portions of the dissimilar substrate.