Semiconductor device with oxidized regions and method for fabricating the same

• US 7,795,630 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakayama, Hisashi, Takizawa, Toshiyuki, Ueda, Tetsuzo, Yuri, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Parker; Kenneth A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Jay C
• Application Number:
  US10/912,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20050029531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,230 Days
• Field of Search: 257/79, 257/94, 257/98, 257/192, 257/184, 257/E33.011, 257/194, 257/E33.025, 257/E33.028, 257/E33.03, 257/E33.033, 257/E33.034, 372/46.013
• US Class Current: 257/94
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/08 with a plurality of light emitting regions, e.g. laterally discontinuous light emitting layer or photoluminescent region integrated within the semiconductor body H01L27/15 takes precedence

Abstract

A semiconductor device, which includes an active layer made of a first semiconductor layer formed on a substrate, is designed so that a first oxidized area made of an oxide layer is formed on the active layer. The first oxidized area further aids in reducing a reactive current so that it becomes possible to achieve a semiconductor device having superior device characteristics.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

an active layer made of a first group III-nitride semiconductor layer formed on a substrate,

crystal defects existing in the active layer, and

oxidized layers formed on the active layer,

wherein the oxidized layers are located separately from each other, each of the oxidized layers being formed selectively around each of the crystal defects, and

a vertical size of each of the oxidized layers has a local maximum value at each of the crystal defects,

wherein the local maximum value occurs only at one position of each of the oxidized layers, and

the oxidized layers penetrate the active layer.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second semiconductor layer formed on the active layer,

wherein an oxidized area is formed on at least one of a surface and a side face of the second semiconductor layer.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the active layer is made of an activator layer of a light-emitting diode.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the active layer is made of a light-absorbing layer of a photodiode.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the active layer is made of a channel layer of a field-effect transistor.