Method for producing a semiconductor element

• US 8,598,014 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Fehrer, Michael, Hahn, Berthold, Hrle, Volker, Kaiser, Stephan, Otte, Frank, Plssl, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Roman, Angel
• Application Number:
  US13/281,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20120040484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 438/463
• US Class Current: 438/458
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/172 wherein at least one of the layers is non-metallic
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/40 taking account of the properties of the material involved
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/50 Working by transmitting the laser beam through or within the workpiece
• 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: C30B 33/00 After-treatment of single crystals or homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure C30B31/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2007 Bonding of semiconductor wafers to insulating substrates or to semiconducting substrates using an intermediate insulating layer H01L21/2011 takes precedence; bonding of semiconductor wafers to semiconductor wafers for junction formation H01L21/187
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76251 using bonding techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29101 the principal constituent melting at a temperature of less than 400°C
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29111 Tin [Sn] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29144 Gold [Au] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29199 Material of the matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/2929 with a principal constituent of the material being a polymer, e.g. polyester, phenolic based polymer, epoxy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29298 Fillers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29299 Base material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83001 involving a temporary auxiliary member not forming part of the bonding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/8319 Arrangement of the layer connectors prior to mounting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/29 : of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/83 : using a layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00013 : Fully indexed content
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 : Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 : Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 : Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01019 : Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01023 : Vanadium [V]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01026 : Iron [Fe]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01027 : Cobalt [Co]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01028 : Nickel [Ni]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 : Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01032 : Germanium [Ge]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 : Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01042 : Molybdenum [Mo]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01046 : Palladium [Pd]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01049 : Indium [In]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0105 : Tin [Sn]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01057 : Lanthanum [La]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0106 : Neodymium [Nd]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01068 : Erbium [Er]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 : Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 : Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0132 : Binary Alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0133 : Ternary Alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10329 : Gallium arsenide [GaAs]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12036 : PN diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12041 : LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12042 : LASER
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/157 : with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron [B], silicon [Si], germanium [Ge], arsenic [As], antimony [Sb], tellurium [Te] and polonium [Po], and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15763 : the principal constituent melting at a temperature of greater than 1550 C
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3512 : Cracking
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0093 : Wafer bonding; Removal of the growth substrate

Abstract

Presented is a method for producing an optoelectronic component. The method includes separating a semiconductor layer based on a III-V-compound semiconductor material from a substrate by irradiation with a laser beam having a plateau-like spatial beam profile, where individual regions of the semiconductor layer are irradiated successively.

Claims

1. A method for producing an optoelectronic component, in which a semiconductor layer based on a III-V-compound semiconductor material is separated from a substrate by irradiation with a laser beam, wherein individual regions of the semiconductor layer are irradiated successively such that each region is radiated in a single radiation step and said regions are arranged in rows and columns before irradiation or during irradiation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each single radiation step corresponds to a single laser pulse.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser beam has a plateau-like spatial beam profile.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the laser beam has a rectangular or trapezoidal spatial beam profile.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wavelength of the laser beam lies between 200 nm and 400 nm.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the laser beam is focused onto the semiconductor layer in such a way that, within the irradiated region, the energy density generated by the laser beam lies between 100 mJ/cm² and 1000 mJ/cm², in particular between 150 mJ/cm² and 800 mJ/cm².

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the individual regions are arranged in area-filling fashion such that a spatially approximately constant intensity distribution results, in a manner integrated with respect to time, for a predominant part of the irradiated semiconductor layer.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the laser beam has, at the location of the semiconductor layer, a beam area with a longitudinal dimension (a) and a transverse dimension (b), the longitudinal dimension (a) being greater than the transverse dimension (b) and the semiconductor layer is moved relative to the laser beam during the irradiation along the direction of the transverse dimension (b).

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate is at least partly transmissive to the laser beam and the semiconductor layer is irradiated through the substrate.

10. The method as claimed claim 1, wherein prior to separation from the substrate, the semiconductor layer is applied, preferably soldered, onto a carrier by the side remote from the substrate.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of the carrier a_T is chosen in a manner coordinated with the beam profile and/or the pulse length of the laser beam pulses and with the thermal expansion coefficient of the semiconductor layer a_HL and the thermal expansion coefficient as of the substrate, in order to reduce strains between substrate, semiconductor layer and carrier during production.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of the carrier a_T is chosen to be nearer to the thermal expansion coefficient of the semiconductor layer a_HL than to the thermal expansion coefficient as of the substrate.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of the carrier a_T differs from the thermal expansion coefficient a_S of the substrate by 45% or less, preferably by 40% or less.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of the carrier a_T differs from the thermal expansion coefficient a_HL, of the semiconductor layer by 35% or less, preferably by 25% or less.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the carrier—

has a thermal expansion coefficient of between approximately 4.3*10<sup>−

6</sup>K<sup>−

1</sup> and approximately 5.9*10<sup>−

6</sup>K<sup>−

1</sup>, preferably between approximately 4.6*10<sup>−

6</sup>K<sup>−

1</sup> and approximately 5.3*10<sup>−

6</sup>K<sup>−

1</sup>.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the carrier contains at least one of the following materials:

gallium arsenide, silicon, copper, iron, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, germanium.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a large pulse length of the laser beam pulses, in particular a pulse length of greater than 15 ns, is chosen for the separation of the semiconductor layer from the substrate.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of the carrier a_T differs from the thermal expansion coefficient a_HL of the semiconductor layer by 35% or more, and in which a small pulse length of the laser beam pulses, in particular a pulse length of less than approximately 15 ns, is chosen for the separation of the semiconductor layer from the substrate.

19. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the semiconductor layer is soldered onto the carrier by means of a solder containing gold and/or tin or palladium and/or indium.

20. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein, before the semiconductor layer is connected to the carrier, a metallization is applied to that side of the semiconductor layer which is remote from the substrate.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the metallization contains gold and/or platinum.

22. The method as claimed in claims 1, wherein the III-V compound semiconductor material is a nitride compound semiconductor material.

23. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate contains at least one of the following materials:

silicon, silicon carbide, aluminium oxide, sapphire.

24. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer is epitaxially grown on the substrate.

25. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer has a thickness which is less than or equal to 50 μ

m.

26. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor component is a light emitting diode.

27. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a interface region between semiconductor layer and substrate is irradiated in such a way that the radiation energy is absorbed at said interface region, said absorption of radiation energy leading to a material decomposition within the semiconductor layer.