Semiconductor light emitting element and manufacturing method thereof

• US 20030062531A1
• Filed: 10/28/2002
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugawara, Hidato, Furukawa, Chisato, Suzuki, Nobuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,627,521 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/79
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45144 Gold (Au) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48257 connecting the wire to a die pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49107 on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/8592 Applying permanent coating, e.g. protective coating
• 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 2924/00014 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 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/501 characterised by the materials, e.g. binder
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/508 having a non-uniform spatial arrangement or non-uniform concentration, e.g. patterned wavelength conversion layer, wavelength conversion layer with a concentration gradient of the wavelength conversion material

Abstract

There is disclosed a semiconductor light emitting element formed by selective growth and being high in light emitting efficiency, in which at least one GaN-based layer grown by ELO is stacked/formed on a sapphire substrate, and a fluorescent substance for converting an ultraviolet light to a visible light is contained in a selective growth mask material layer for use in this case. Since this fluorescent substance converts the ultraviolet light to the visible light, a binding efficiency of the ultraviolet light to the fluorescent substance is enhanced in either one of a center light emitting type and UV light emitting type of light emitting elements. By further containing the fluorescent substance into a passivation film, the efficiency is further enhanced.

Claims

1. A semiconductor light emitting element comprising, as a lamination structure:

an insulating substrate;

GaN-based stacked films stacked/formed on said insulating substrate, one of these films being a GaN-based film grown by using a selective growth mask material layer containing a fluorescent substance for converting an ultraviolet light to a visible light; and

an active layer, formed on the GaN-based stacked films, for emitting at least an ultraviolet light component.

2. The semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, further comprising a protective film containing the fluorescent substance on a topmost layer.

3. The semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1 wherein said light emitting layer includes an Al_xIn_yGa_1-x-yN (0≦

x≦

0.1≦

y≦

1) film, or a B_zGa_1-zN (0≦

z≦

1) film.

4. The semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1 wherein the selective growth mask material layer containing said fluorescent substance is formed in a stripe shape.

5. The semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1 wherein the selective growth mask material layer containing said fluorescent substance is formed in a grid shape.

6. The semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1 wherein the selective growth mask material layer containing said fluorescent substance is formed in a polka-dot pattern.

7. The semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1, further comprising a lens formed on a back surface side of said insulating substrate.

8. The semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 1 wherein a thickness of the mask layer;

containing said fluorescent substance is in a range of 50 nm to 20 μ

m.

9. A manufacturing method of a semiconductor light emitting element, comprising:

a step of forming a stack of a GaN-based semiconductor layer on an insulating substrate, said step comprising steps of using a fluorescent substance for converting an ultraviolet light to a visible light or a coat material containing the fluorescent substance as a base material to partially stack a mask material for selective growth and using the mask material layer to grow a GaN-based film; and

a step of stacking an active layer for emitting at least the ultraviolet light on this GaN-based semiconductor layer stack.

10. The manufacturing method of the semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9 wherein the step of stacking said mask material comprises a step of supplying the mask material containing said fluorescent substance together with a solvent, and evaporating a solvent component in the vicinity of 500°

C. to obtain the mask material.

11. The manufacturing method of the semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 9 wherein the mask material containing said fluorescent substance is supplied together with an inorganic binder, heated/sealed and obtained.

12. The manufacturing method of the semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 11 wherein the inorganic binder is silicon oxide.