Columnar crystal containing light emitting element and method of manufacturing the same

• US 9,362,717 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sophia School Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sophia School Corporation
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Akihiko, Kishino, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Jay C
• Application Number:
  US11/574,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20070248132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,934 Days
• Field of Search: 257/79, 257/88, 257/94, 257/96, 257/97, 257/103, 257/E33.001, 257/E33.002, 257/E33.003, 257/E33.005, 257/E33.006, 257/E33.013, 257/E33.025, 257/E33.028, 257/627
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 23/002 Controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/02 Epitaxial-layer growth
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/16 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/403 AIII-nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/605 Products containing multiple oriented crystallites, e.g. columnar crystallites
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0237 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02381 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0242 Crystalline insulating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02472 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02483 Oxide semiconducting materials not being Group 12/16 materials, e.g. ternary compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02505 consisting of more than two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02554 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02565 Oxide semiconducting materials not being Group 12/16 materials, e.g. ternary compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02603 Nanowires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0093 Wafer bonding; Removal of the growth substrate
• 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 33/18 : within the light emitting region
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2304/04 : MOCVD or MOVPE
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/021 : Silicon based substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/041 : Optical pumping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/183 : having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/320225 : polar orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3412 : quantum box or quantum dash
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 : with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor element by forming, on a substrate, columnar crystals of a nitride-base or an oxide-base compound semiconductor, and by using the columnar crystals, wherein on the surface of the substrate, the columnar crystals are grown while ensuring anisotropy in the direction of c-axis, by controlling ratio of supply of Group-III atoms and nitrogen, or Group-II atoms and oxygen atoms, and temperature of crystal growth, so as to suppress crystal growth in the lateral direction on the surface of the substrate.

Claims

1. A semiconductor element comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of columnar crystals arranged on said substrate according to a predetermined density, and in which a device structure is formed;

wherein each of the plurality of columnar crystals comprises an n-type cladding layer, an i-type blocking layer, a light emitting layer, and a p-type cladding layer arranged in this order from the substrate, or each of the plurality of columnar crystals comprises an n-type cladding layer, a light emitting layer, an i-type blocking layer, and a p-type cladding layer arranged in this order from the substrate,

wherein a material of the p-type cladding layer comprises p-GaN;

Mg or p-AlGaN;

Mg, a material of the i-type blocking layer comprises intrinsic GaN, a material of the n-type cladding layer comprises n-GaN;

Si or n-AlGaN;

Si, and the light emitting layer has a single-quantum well structure comprising In_xGa_1-xN/In_yGa_1-yN or Al_xGa_1-xN/Al_yGa_1-yN or a multiple-quantum well structure comprising multiple alternating layers comprising In_xGa_1-xN/In_yGa_1-yN or Al_xGa_1-xN/Al_yGa_1-yN; and

wherein the p-type cladding layer has a truncated reverse cone shape;

wherein upper surfaces of the p-type cladding layers are fused together to form a two-dimensionally continuous thin film layer.

2. The semiconductor element as claimed in claim 1, having a filling component composed of a dielectric material between adjacent columnar crystals.

3. The semiconductor element as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of columnar crystals comprises an n-type cladding layer, an i-type blocking layer, a light emitting layer, and a p-type cladding layer arranged in this order from the substrate.

4. The semiconductor element as claimed in claim 1, wherein x is 0 to 0.5.

5. A semiconductor element comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of columnar crystals arranged on said substrate according to a predetermined density, and in which a device structure is formed;

wherein each of the plurality of columnar crystals comprises an n-type cladding layer, an i-type blocking layer, a light emitting layer, and a p-type cladding layer arranged in this order from the substrate, or each of the plurality of columnar crystals comprises an n-type cladding layer, a light emitting layer, an i-type blocking layer, and a p-type cladding layer arranged in this order from the substrate,

wherein a material of the p-type cladding layer comprises p-GaN;

Mg or p-AlGaN;

Mg, a material of the i-type blocking layer comprises intrinsic GaN, a material of the n-type cladding layer comprises n-GaN;

Si or n-AlGaN;

Si, and the light emitting layer has a single-quantum well structure comprising In_xGa_1-xN/In_yGa_1-yN or Al_xGa_1xN/Al_yGa_1-yN or a multiple-quantum well structure comprising multiple alternating layers comprising In_xGa_1-xN/In_yGa_1-yN or Al_xGa_1-xN/Al_yGa_1-yN,

wherein upper surfaces of the p-type cladding layers of the plurality of the columnar crystals are fused together to form a two-dimensionally continuous film layer; and

wherein each p-type cladding layer is gradually enlarged in a direction of c-axis, from a diameter of said columnar crystals to form a truncated reverse cone shape.