# US 8,785,965 B2 · Nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device and method for fabricating the same

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- Number: US 8,785,965 B2
- Document ID: US8785965B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/739,972
- Filed: 2009-09-07
- Published: 2010-09-30
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2008-09-09
- Assignees: Panasonic Corporation
- Applicants: Toshiya Yokogawa; Ryou Kato
- Inventors: Toshiya Yokogawa; Ryou Kato
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8785965B2

## CPC

- H10H 20/01335: {the light-emitting regions comprising nitride materials}
- H10H 20/815: having stress relaxation structures, e.g. buffer layers
- H10H 20/817: characterised by the crystal structures or orientations, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
- H10H 20/8215: {characterised by crystalline imperfections, e.g. dislocations; characterised by the distribution of dopants, e.g. delta-doping}
- H10P 14/271: {characterised by the preparation of substrate for selective deposition}
- H10P 14/3216: {Nitrides}
- H10P 14/3416: {Nitrides}
- H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device according to the present invention has a nitride-based semiconductor multilayer structure 50. The nitride-based semiconductor multilayer structure 50 includes: an active layer 32 including an AlaInbGacN crystal layer (where a+b+c=1, a≧0, b≧0 and c≧0); an AldGaeN overflow suppressing layer 36 (where d+e=1, d>0, and e≧0); and an AlfGagN layer 38 (where f+g=1, f≧0, g≧0 and f<d). The AldGaeN overflow suppressing layer 36 is arranged between the active layer 32 and the AlfGagN layer 38. And the AldGaeN overflow suppressing layer 36 includes an In-doped layer that is doped with In at a concentration of 1×1016 atms/cm3 to 1×1019 atms/cm3.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device having a nitride-based semiconductor multilayer structure,
wherein the nitride-based semiconductor multilayer structure comprises:
an active layer including an AlaInbGacN crystal layer (where a+b+c=1, a≧1, b≧0 and c≧0);
an overflow suppressing layer; and
an AlfGagN layer (where f+g=1, f≧0, and g≧0),
wherein the overflow suppressing layer is arranged between the active layer and the AlfGagN layer,
a portion of the overflow suppressing layer is obtained by doping AldGaeN (where d+e=1, d>0, e≧0, and f<d) with In at a concentration of 1×1016 atoms/cm3 to 8×1018 atoms/cm3,
an In concentration of the overflow suppressing layer other than the portion of the overflow suppressing layer is less than 1×1016 atoms/cm3,
peak of the concentration of In with which the AldGaeN is doped is within the overflow suppressing layer, and
the peak of the concentration of In is not at a face of the overflow suppressing layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the portion of the overflow suppressing layer is arranged closer to the active layer than to the AlfGagN layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 1, further comprising a selectively grown layer,
wherein the nitride-based semiconductor multilayer structure is arranged on the selectively grown layer, and
wherein the overflow suppressing layer is located on a side of the active layer opposite to the selectively grown layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the nitride-based semiconductor multilayer structure has an m plane as its principal surface.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 3, wherein the selectively grown layer is an AlxGayInzN crystal layer (where x+y+z=1, x≧0, y≧0 and z≧0) that has grown from a surface region of an AluGavInwN layer (where u+v+w=1, u≧0, v≧0 and w≧0), which is not covered with a mask layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 5, comprising:
a substrate; and
the AluGavInwN layer, which has been formed on the substrate and which is partially covered with the mask layer,
wherein the selectively grown layer is in contact with the surface region of the AluGavInwN layer that is not covered with the mask layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 3, wherein another surface region of the AluGavInwN layer that is covered with the mask layer defines a recess, and
wherein the selectively grown layer is out of contact with the mask layer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 3, wherein the selectively grown layer forms at least a part of a GaN substrate.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein from a reference point within the portion of the overflow suppressing layer and closer to the active layer than to the AlfGagN layer, the more distant from the active layer, the lower the In concentration of the In-doped layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein an undoped GaN layer is arranged between the active layer and the overflow suppressing layer.