Nitride semiconductor multilayer structure, semiconductor light-emitting device, and method for manufacturing nitride semiconductor multilayer structure

A method for manufacturing a nitride semiconductor multilayer structure, the method comprising:

• preparing a sapphire substrate having a principal surface which is an m-plane having an off-angle φ of 0° or more and 10° or less with respect to a c-axis;
• forming a mask layer on the principal surface of the sapphire substrate, the mask layer having a pattern that forms a plurality of exposed regions on the principal surface of the sapphire substrate, the mask layer comprising a first side surface portion and a second side surface portion sandwiching each of the exposed regions in a direction parallel to the c-axis of the sapphire substrate;
• forming a buffer layer on the plurality of exposed regions of the principal surface and the mask layer by using a nitride semiconductor;
• and
• epitaxially growing a nitride semiconductor layer on the buffer layer,
• wherein, in a cross section parallel to an m-axis and the c-axis of the sapphire substrate,
• a point at which the first side surface portion of the mask layer meets the principal surface of the sapphire substrate is defined as point A,
• a point at which the second side surface portion of the mask layer meets the principal surface of the sapphire substrate is defined as point B,
• a point at which the first side surface portion intersects a straight line passing through point B and forming an angle 58°−φ with the principal surface is defined as point C,
• a distance between a straight line passing through point C and perpendicular to the principal surface and a straight line passing through point B and perpendicular to the principal surface is defined as W,
• a height of the first side surface portion is defined as H, and
• H≧W·tan(58°−φ).