High-quality non-polar/semi-polar semiconductor device on porous nitride semiconductor and manufacturing method thereof

• US 9,153,737 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Korea Polytechnic University Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation, Seoul Viosys Co., Ltd. (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Korea Polytechnic University Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation, Seoul Viosys Co., Ltd. (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nam, Ok Hyun, Lee, Dong Hun, Yoo, Geun Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Henry, Caleb
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belousov, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/502,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20120205665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 257/E29.09, 438/47, 438/479
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/2003 Nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0304 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only AIIIBV compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1856 comprising nitride compounds, e.g. GaN
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0062 for devices with an active region comprising only III-V compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/12 with a stress relaxation structure, e.g. buffer layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/22 Roughened surfaces, e.g. at the interface between epitaxial layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2304/12 Pendeo epitaxial lateral overgrowth [ELOG], e.g. for growing GaN based blue laser diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0213 Sapphire, quartz or diamond based substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32025 non-polar orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/320275 semi-polar orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/32341 blue laser based on GaN or GaP
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/544 Solar cells from Group III-V materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

Provided are a high-quality non-polar/semi-polar semiconductor device having reduced defect density of a nitride semiconductor layer and improved internal quantum efficiency and light extraction efficiency, and a manufacturing method thereof. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is to form a template layer and a semiconductor device structure on a sapphire, SiC or Si substrate having a crystal plane for a growth of a non-polar or semi-polar nitride semiconductor layer. The manufacturing method includes: forming a nitride semiconductor layer on the substrate; performing a porous surface modification such that the nitride semiconductor layer has pores; forming the template layer by re-growing a nitride semiconductor layer on the surface-modified nitride semiconductor layer; and forming the semiconductor device structure on the template layer.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

forming a first nitride semiconductor layer on a substrate;

forming irregular pores in a surface of the first nitride semiconductor layer by etching the first nitride semiconductor layer using a process selected from the group consisting of reactive ion etching and dipping in a wet etching solution;

forming a second nitride semiconductor layer on the first nitride semiconductor layer so as to cover the pores, wherein lateral crystal growth of the second nitride semiconductor layer completely fills the pores; and

forming a semiconductor device structure on the second nitride semiconductor layer,

wherein upper side surfaces of the pores in the first nitride semiconductor layer form a lateral crystal growth region for growth of the second nitride semiconductor layer, and

wherein a portion of the second nitride semiconductor layer disposed in the pores is grown from the upper side surfaces of the pores.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first nitride semiconductor layer comprises an In_xAl_yGa_1-x-yN (0≦

x≦

1, 0≦

y≦

1, 0≦

x+y≦

1)layer, an undoped GaN layer, an n-type doped GaN layer, or a p-type doped GaN layer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a sapphire substrate, a SiC substrate, or a Si substrate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the crystal plane of the substrate comprises an A-plane, an M-plane, or an R-plane.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the pores are formed in the first nitride semiconductor layer using the wet etching solution; and

the growth of the first nitride semiconductor layer, and the growth of the second nitride semiconductor layer are performed by a metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the wet etching solution comprises a solution containing potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, or hydrochloric acid in a concentration range of 0.001 M to 2 M.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pores are formed in the first nitride semiconductor layer by using the reactive ion etching process.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein light having an energy above a band gap of the first nitride semiconductor layer is irradiated on the surface of the first nitride semiconductor layer during formation of the pores in the first nitride semiconductor layer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device comprises a light emitting diode comprising an active layer between an n-type nitride semiconductor layer and a p-type nitride semiconductor layer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device comprises an optical device comprising a light emitting diode, a laser diode, a photo detector, or a solar cell, or comprises an electronic device comprising a transistor.

11. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

forming a first nitride semiconductor layer on a substrate;

forming irregular pores in a surface of the first nitride semiconductor layer by etching the first nitride semiconductor layer using a process selected from the group consisting of reactive ion etching and dipping in a wet etching solution;

forming a second nitride semiconductor layer on the first nitride semiconductor layer so as to cover the pores, wherein lateral crystal growth of the second nitride semiconductor layer completely fills the pores; and

forming a semiconductor device structure on the second nitride semiconductor layer,

wherein forming the second nitride semiconductor layer comprises growing the second nitride semiconductor layer laterally outward from top surfaces of the first nitride semiconductor layer respectively disposed between the pores, and

wherein a portion of the second nitride semiconductor layer disposed in the pores is grown from the upper side surfaces of the pores.