Method for producing group 3-5 nitride semiconductor and method for producing light-emitting device

• US 8,691,674 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Chemical Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Chemical Company Limited
• Inventors: Ueda, Kazumasa, Tsuchida, Yoshihiko, Yamanaka, Sadanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Maldonado, Julio J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCall Shepard, Sonya D
• Application Number:
  US11/992,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20090117675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,750 Days
• Field of Search: 438 22- 47, 438455-459, 438/507, 257E33023-E33034, 257E21119-E21122, 257/E21.463, 257 9- 22, 257 79-103, 257431-437, 257E33001-E33077
• US Class Current: 438/507
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/01 on temporary substrates, e.g. substrates subsequently removed by etching
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/301 AIII BV compounds, where A is Al, Ga, In or Tl and B is N, P, As, Sb or Bi
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/183 being provided with a buffer layer, e.g. a lattice matching layer
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• 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 21/0237 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02389 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02513 Microstructure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02642 Mask materials other than SiO2 or SiN
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02664 Aftertreatments planarisation in general H01L21/304
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0093 Wafer bonding; Removal of the growth substrate

Abstract

A method for producing a group 3-5 nitride semiconductor includes the steps of (i), (ii), (iii) in this order: (i) placing inorganic particles on a substrate, (ii) epitaxially growing a semiconductor layer by using the inorganic particles as a mask, and (iii) separating the substrate and the semiconductor layer by irradiating the interface between the substrate and the semiconductor layer with light; and a method for producing a light emitting device further includes adding electrodes.

Claims

1. A method for producing a group 3-5 nitride semiconductor, comprising the steps of (i), (ii), and (iii) in this order:

(i) placing spherical inorganic particles directly on a substrate consisting of sapphire, SiC, Si, MgAl₂O₄, LiTaO₃, ZrB₂, GaN, or AlN to form a mask, wherein the placement is carried out by a method of dipping the substrate in a slurry containing the inorganic particles and a medium, or a method of applying or spraying the slurry onto the substrate and then drying the slurry,

(ii) epitaxially growing a semiconductor layer by using said mask formed from said inorganic particles whereby said inorganic particles are embedded in the semiconductor layer, the semiconductor layer having a form of a multilayer and including a low temperature grown buffer layer having a thickness from 100 Å

to 5000 Å

adjacent to the substrate, and

(iii) separating the substrate and the semiconductor layer by irradiating the interface between the substrate and the semiconductor layer with light, wherein the light is further irradiated to the inorganic particles.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate used at the step (i) consists of sapphire or SiC.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate used at the step (i) is transparent.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inorganic particles include at least one selected from the group consisting of oxide, nitride, carbide, boride, sulfide, selenide, and metal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inorganic particles has an average particle diameter of from 5 nm to 50 μ

m.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer used at the step (ii) includes a group 3-5 nitride.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the growth is carried out by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, molecular beam epitaxy, or hydride vapor phase epitaxy.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the light is a laser light.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the substrate includes at least one selected from sapphire, GaN, and AlN.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein the oxide includes at least one selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, zirconia, titania, ceria, zinc oxide, tin oxide, and yttrium aluminum garnet.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the oxide is silica.

12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step (ii) further comprising the substeps of growing an n-type layer, growing an active layer, and growing a p-type layer.

13. A method for producing a light emitting device, comprising the steps of (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) in this order:

(i) placing spherical inorganic particles directly on a substrate consisting of sapphire, SiC, Si, MgAl₂O₄, LiTaO₃, ZrB₂, GaN, or AlN to form a mask, wherein the placement is carried out by a method of dipping the substrate in a slurry containing the inorganic particles and a medium, or a method of applying or spraying the slurry onto the substrate and then drying the slurry,

(ii) epitaxially growing a semiconductor layer by using said mask formed from said inorganic particles whereby said inorganic particles are embedded in said semiconductor layer, the semiconductor layer having a form of a multilayer and including a low temperature grown buffer layer having a thickness from 100 Å

to 5000 Å

adjacent to the substrate, and

(iii) separating the substrate and the semiconductor layer by irradiating the interface between the substrate and the semiconductor layer with light, wherein the light is further irradiated to the inorganic particles, and

(iv) forming electrodes.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step (ii) comprises the substeps of growing an n-type layer, growing an active layer, and growing a p-type layer.

15. A method for producing a group 3-5 nitride semiconductor, comprising the steps of (i), (ii), and (iii) in this order:

(i) placing spherical inorganic particles directly on a substrate consisting of sapphire, SiC, Si, MgAl₂O₄, LiTaO₃, ZrB₂, GaN, or AlN to form a mask, wherein the placement is carried out by a method of dipping the substrate in a slurry containing the inorganic particles and a medium, or a method of applying or spraying the slurry onto the substrate and then drying the slurry,

(ii) epitaxially growing a semiconductor layer by using said mask formed from said inorganic particles wherein a penetration region in the semiconductor layer adjoining the interface between the semiconductor layer and the substrate is formed, and the inorganic particles are embedded in the penetration region in the semiconductor layer, the semiconductor layer having a form of a multilayer and including a low temperature grown buffer layer having a thickness from 100 Å

to 5000 Å

adjacent to the substrate, and

(iii) separating the substrate and the semiconductor layer by irradiating the adjoining penetration region and the interface between the substrate and the semiconductor layer with light, wherein embedded inorganic particles are irradiated.