GaN group semiconductor light-emitting element with concave and convex structures on the substrate and a production method thereof

• US 7,053,420 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Cable Industries Limited (Mitsubishi Materials Corporation)
• Inventors: Okagawa, Hiroaki, Ouchi, Yoichiro, Tsunekawa, Takashi, Tadatomo, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANDALA, VICTOR A
• Application Number:
  US10/472,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20040113166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 257/98, 257/103, 438/22, 438/42
• US Class Current: 257/98
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/12 with a stress relaxation structure, e.g. buffer layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/22 Roughened surfaces, e.g. at the interface between epitaxial layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen

Abstract

Concaves and convexes 1a are formed by processing the surface layer of a first layer 1, and second layer 2 having a different refractive index from the first layer is grown while burying the concaves and convexes (or first crystal 10 is grown as concaves and convexes on crystal layer S to be the base of the growth, and second crystal 20 is grown, which has a different refractive index from the first crystal). After forming these concavo-convex refractive index interfaces 1a (10a), an element structure, wherein semiconductor crystal layers containing a light-emitting layer A are laminated, is formed. As a result, the light in the lateral direction, which is generated in the light-emitting layer changes its direction by an influence of the concavo-convex refractive index interface and heads toward the outside. Particularly, when an ultraviolet light is to be emitted using InGaN as a material of a light-emitting layer, a quantum well structure is employed and all the layers between the quantum well structure and the low temperature buffer layer are formed of a GaN crystal, removing AlGaN. The quantum well structure preferably consists of a well layer made of InGaN and a barrier layer made of GaN, and the thickness of the barrier layer is preferably 6 nm–30 nm.

Claims

1. A GaN group semiconductor light-emitting element having an element structure comprising

a first crystal layer, which is a sapphire substrate processed to have concaves and convexes on its surface wherein the concaves have a depth of 0.2 μ

m to 5 μ

m,

a second crystal layer directly formed thereon or formed via a buffer layer, burying the concaves and convexes, said second crystal layer being made from a GaN group semiconductor material having a different refractive index from the aforementioned crystal layer, wherein the second crystal layer is grown from each of the concaves and convexes processed on the surface of the crystal substrate, while forming a facet structure comprising a facet plane which bends the dislocation line extending in the C-axis direction from the substrate in the second crystal layer into the lateral direction, and continuously grown to make the surface flat, and

a semiconductor crystal layer comprising a light-emitting layer laminated thereon.

2. The GaN group semiconductor light-emitting element of claim 1, wherein the concaves and convexes processed on the surface of the crystal substrate have a stripe pattern, and the longitudinal direction of the stripe is a <

11-20>

direction or a <

1-100>

direction of a GaN group semiconductor grown while burying them.

3. The GaN group semiconductor light-emitting element of claim 1, wherein the concaves and convexes have a cross sectional shape of a rectangular wave or a triangular wave.

4. The GaN group semiconductor light-emitting element of claim 1, wherein the difference between the refractive index of the first crystal layer and that of the second crystal layer at the wavelength of a light emitted from the light-emitting layer is not less than 0.05.

5. The GaN group semiconductor light-emitting element of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting layer is made of an InGaN crystal having a composition capable of generating an ultraviolet light.

6. The GaN group semiconductor light-emitting element of claim 1, wherein the second crystal layer is grown via a low temperature buffer layer on the concaves and convexes processed on the surface of the crystal substrate while burying the concaves and convexes, the light-emitting layer is a quantum well structure comprising a well layer made of InGaN and a barrier layer made of GaN, and all the layers between the quantum well structure and the low temperature buffer layer are made of a GaN crystal.

7. The GaN group semiconductor light-emitting element of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting layer is a quantum well structure comprising a well layer made of InGaN and a barrier layer made of GaN.

8. The GaN group semiconductor light-emitting element of claim 7, wherein the barrier layer has a thickness of 6 nm–

30 nm.

9. A production method of a GaN group semiconductor light-emitting element comprising:

processing a surface of a sapphire substrate as a first crystal layer to have concaves and convexes on its surface wherein the concaves have a depth of 0.2 μ

m to 5 μ

m,

forming a second crystal layer directly on the first crystal layer or via a buffer layer,

burying the concaves and convexes, and

laminating at least one semiconductor crystal layer comprising a light-emitting layer on the second crystal layer,

wherein the second crystal layer comprises a GaN group semiconductor with a different refractive index from the first crystal layer, and

wherein the second crystal layer is grown forming convexes from both the concave surfaces and convex surfaces in the early stage of the growth to form a facet structure comprising a facet plane which bends the dislocation line extending in the C-axis direction from the substrate in the second crystal layer into the lateral direction, and is continuously grown to make the surface flat.

10. The production method of claim 9, wherein the concaves and convexes processed on the surface of the crystal substrate have a stripe pattern, and the longitudinal direction of the stripe is a <

11-20>

direction or a <

1-100>

direction of a GaN group semiconductor grown while burying them.

11. The production method of claim 9, wherein the concaves and convexes have a cross sectional shape of a rectangular wave or a triangular wave.

12. The production method of claim 9, wherein the difference between the refractive index of the first crystal layer and that of the second crystal layer at the wavelength of a light emitted from the light-emitting layer is not less than 0.05.

13. The production method of claim 9, wherein the light-emitting layer is made of an InGaN crystal having a composition capable of generating an ultraviolet light.

14. The production method of claim 9, wherein the light-emitting layer is a quantum well structure comprising a well layer made of InGaN and a barrier layer made of GaN.

15. The production method of claim 9, wherein the second crystal layer is grown via a low temperature buffer layer on the concaves and convexes processed on the surface of the crystal substrate while burying the concaves and convexes, the light-emitting layer is a quantum well structure comprising a well layer made of InGaN and a barrier layer made of GaN, and all the layers between the quantum well structure and the low temperature buffer layer are made of a GaN crystal.

16. The production method of claim 14, wherein the barrier layer has a thickness of 6 nm–

30 nm.