Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same

• US 7,435,994 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• 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, Tetsuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, HSIEN MING
• Application Number:
  US11/602,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20070108639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 438/22, 438/46, 257/79, 257/82, 257/89, 257/90, 257/98, 313/498
• US Class Current: 257/79
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/183 being provided with a buffer layer, e.g. a lattice matching layer
• 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 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02472 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/268 using electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/025 Physical imperfections, e.g. particular concentration or distribution of impurities
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/173 The laser chip comprising special buffer layers, e.g. dislocation prevention or reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0202 Cleaving
• 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 5/0218 Substrates comprising semiconducting materials from other groups of the Periodic Table than the materials of the active layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/320225 polar orientation
• 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 spacer layer is formed on a single-crystal substrate and an epitaxially grown layer composed of a group III-V compound semiconductor layer containing a nitride or the like is further formed on the spacer layer. The epitaxially grown layer is adhered to a recipient substrate. The back surface of the single-crystal substrate is irradiated with a light beam such as a laser beam or a bright line spectrum from a mercury vapor lamp such that the epitaxially grown layer and the single-crystal substrate are separated from each other. Since the forbidden band of the spacer layer is smaller than that of the single-crystal substrate, it is possible to separate the thin semiconductor layer from the substrate by decomposing or fusing the spacer layer, while suppressing the occurrence of a crystal defect or a crack in the epitaxially grown layer.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a supporting substrate;

a semiconductor layer provided on the supporting substrate and including an active layer serving as a light-emitting region; and

a multiple quantum well layer provided directly on the semiconductor layer, composed of quantum well layers and barrier layers which are alternately stacked, wherein both the semiconductor layer and the multiple quantum well layer have a nitride semiconductor layer,

wherein either the quantum well layers or the barrier layers contain a dopant at such a high concentration as to allow carriers to spread out upon application of an ON voltage.

2. The device of claim 1,

wherein the multiple quantum well layer has a crystal defect or a crack caused by separating a substrate for epitaxial growth, and

wherein the crystal defect or the crack is terminated at interfaces between the individual layers of the multiple quantum well layer.

3. A semiconductor device comprising:

a supporting substrate;

a semiconductor layer provided on the supporting substrate and including an active layer serving as a light-emitting region; and

a multiple quantum well layer provided directly on the semiconductor layer, composed of quantum well layers and barrier layers which are alternately stacked, wherein both the semiconductor layer and the multiple quantum well layer have a nitride semiconductor layer,

wherein the multiple quantum well layer has a crystal defect or a crack caused by separating a substrate for epitaxial growth, and

wherein the crystal defect or the crack is terminated at interfaces between the individual layers of the multiple quantum well layer.