Semiconductor light-emitting device and method for fabricating the same

• US 7,170,108 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2004
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueda, Daisuke, Takigawa, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, H JEY
• Application Number:
  US10/817,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20040191938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 257 79- 97, 257 12- 24, 257183-201, 257603-616
• US Class Current: 257/184
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/145 with a current-blocking structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2214 based on oxides or nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2215 using native oxidation of semiconductor 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

An n-type buffer layer composed of n-type GaN, an n-type cladding layer composed of n-type AlGaN, an n-type optical confinement layer composed of n-type GaN, a single quantum well active layer composed of undoped GaInN, a p-type optical confinement layer composed of p-type GaN, a p-type cladding layer composed of p-type AlGaN, and a p-type contact layer composed of p-type GaN are formed on a substrate composed of sapphire. A current blocking layer formed in an upper portion of the p-type cladding layer and on both sides of the p-type contact layer to define a ridge portion is composed of a dielectric material obtained by replacing some of nitrogen atoms composing a Group III–V nitride semiconductor with oxygen atoms.

Claims

1. A semiconductor light-emitting device comprising:

an active layer formed on a substrate;

a semiconductor layer formed on the active layer, the semiconductor layer being composed of a Group III–

V nitride containing Ga; and

an insulative current blocking layer formed in the semiconductor layer to have an opening for exposing the semiconductor layer therethrough, the insulative current blocking layer comprising a dielectric material obtained by replacing some of nitrogen atoms composing the semiconductor layer with oxygen atoms by heat treatment, at least some of the nitrogen atoms bonding with Ga,

wherein a composition of oxygen in the insulative current blocking layer decreases gradually with approach to the active layer, and

the insulative current blocking layer is separate from the active layer.

2. The semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the opening of the insulative current blocking layer has a stripe plan configuration.

3. The semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the opening of the insulative current blocking layer has a circular configuration.