Semiconductor element and manufacturing method for the same

• US 7,183,586 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2004
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nichia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nichia Corporation
• Inventors: Kususe, Takeshi, Ichihara, Takashi, Sanga, Daisuke, Yamada, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Prenty; Mark V.
• Application Number:
  US10/989,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20050104080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 257/98, 257/99, 257/95
• US Class Current: 257/98
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48463 the connecting portion on the bonding area of the semiconductor or solid-state body being a ball bond
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0091 Scattering means in or on the semiconductor body or semiconductor body package H01L33/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/22 Roughened surfaces, e.g. at the interface between epitaxial layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/38 with a particular shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/405 Reflective materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/42 Transparent materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/46 Reflective coating, e.g. dielectric Bragg reflector

Abstract

A nitride semiconductor light emitting element is provided with: a substrate 11 having a pair of main surfaces that face each other; a nitride semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type layered on one of the main surfaces of substrate 11; a nitride semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type layered on the nitride semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type; an active layer 14 formed between the nitride semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type and the nitride semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type; and a reflective layer 16 formed on the nitride semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type for reflecting light from active layer 14 toward the nitride semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type. This nitride semiconductor light emitting element can be mounted on a circuit board, with the other main surface of the above described substrate 11 being used as the main light emitting surface. Furthermore, a translucent conductive layer 17 is formed between reflective layer 16 and the nitride semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type, and an uneven interface 22 is formed as the interface between translucent conductive layer 17 and reflective layer 16.

Claims

1. A semiconductor element, comprising:

a substrate having a pair of main surfaces that face each other;

a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type on one of the main surfaces of said substrate;

a semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type on said semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type;

an active layer formed between said semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type and said semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type; and

a reflective layer formed on said semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type for reflecting light from said active layer toward said semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type,

wherein the other main surface of said substrate is used as the main light emitting surface,

wherein a translucent conductive layer is formed between said reflective layer and the semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type, and an uneven interface is formed as the interface between said translucent conductive layer and said reflective layer.

2. The semiconductor element according to claim 1 wherein the interface between said translucent conductive layer and said semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type is an approximately flat and smooth surface.

3. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein said uneven surface is provided with inclined surfaces of which the angle of inclination is not greater than 60°

relative to the normal line to the main light emitting surface.

4. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein said uneven surface is in the form of continuous cylindrical lenses.

5. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein said translucent conductive layer is an oxide film that includes at least one of element C selected from a group consisting of at least zinc, indium, tin and magnesium.

6. The semiconductor element according to claim 5, wherein said oxide film includes a trace element D in addition to element C.

7. The semiconductor element according to claim 6, wherein said trace element D is at least one of element selected from among tin, zinc, gallium and aluminum.

8. The semiconductor element according to claim 7, wherein the concentration of said trace element D in the vicinity of the interface between said semiconductor layer and said oxide film is higher than that of the trace element D in the other portion of the film in said oxide film.

9. The semiconductor element according to claim 7, wherein the concentration of said trace element D in the vicinity of the interface between said semiconductor layer and said oxide film is higher than that of said trace element D in the vicinity of the surface opposite to said interface.

10. The semiconductor element according to claim 6, wherein said oxide film includes element D of which the amount is not greater than 20% of the amount of element C.

11. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein said translucent conductive layer is made of ITO.

12. The semiconductor element according to claim 1 wherein said reflective layer includes at least one of element selected from among aluminum, titanium, platinum, rhodium, silver, palladium, iridium, silicon and zinc.

13. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein said reflective layer is a metal film that includes aluminum.

14. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein said reflective layer is made of a dielectric that includes at least any of Si, Zn and Ti.

15. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the film thickness of said transluent conductive layer is approximately integer times of λ

/4, wherein the wavelength of light emitted from said active layer is λ

.

16. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the film thickness of said translucent conductive layer is not greater than 1 μ

m.

17. The semiconductor element according to claim 1 wherein said reflective layer is also formed in a plane that crosses the main surfaces of substrate.

18. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the surface of said semiconductor layer that crosses the main surfaces of said substrate is:

inclined.

19. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein said semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type is an n-type semiconductor layer and the semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type is a p-type semiconductor layer.

20. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein said semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type and the semiconductor layer of the second conductivity type are nitride semiconductor layers.