# US 9,040,319 B2 · Group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device, method of manufacturing group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device, and lamp

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- Number: US 9,040,319 B2
- Document ID: US9040319B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/326,542
- Filed: 2011-12-15
- Published: 2012-04-12
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2006-11-08
- Assignees: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Yasunori Yokoyama; Hisayuki Miki
- Inventors: Yasunori Yokoyama; Hisayuki Miki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9040319B2

## CPC

- H10H 20/01335: {the light-emitting regions comprising nitride materials}
- B82Y 20/00: Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
- H01S 5/0232: Lead-frames
- H01S 5/0213: {Sapphire, quartz or diamond based substrates}
- H01S 5/04257: {having positive and negative electrodes on the same side of the substrate}
- H01S 5/305: {characterised by the doping materials used in the laser structure}
- H01S 5/3063: {using Mg}
- H01S 5/34333: {with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser}
- H01S 2301/173: The laser chip comprising special buffer layers, e.g. dislocation prevention or reduction
- H01S 2304/00: Special growth methods for semiconductor lasers
- H10P 14/22: using physical deposition, e.g. vacuum deposition or sputtering
- H10P 14/2921: {being crystalline insulating materials}
- H10P 14/3216: {Nitrides}
- H10P 14/3416: {Nitrides}
- H10P 14/36: {characterised by treatments done before the formation of the materials}
- H10W 72/07554: {changes in dispositions}
- H10W 72/547: {Dispositions of multiple bond wires}
- H10W 72/884: {Die-attach connectors and bond wires}
- H10W 74/00: Encapsulations, e.g. protective coatings
- H10W 90/736: {between a chip and a stacked lead frame, conducting package substrate or heat sink}
- H10W 90/756: {between a chip and a stacked lead frame, conducting package substrate or heat sink}
- H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device, a method of manufacturing the group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device, and a lamp. The method includes the steps of: forming an intermediate layer (12) made of a group-III nitride compound on a substrate (11) by activating and reacting gas including a group-V element with a metal material in plasma; and sequentially forming an n-type semiconductor layer (14), a light-emitting layer (15), and a p-type semiconductor layer (16) each made of a group-III nitride compound semiconductor on the intermediate layer (12). Nitrogen is used as the group-V element, and the thickness of the intermediate layer (12) is in the range of 20 to 80 nm.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device, comprising steps of:
forming an intermediate layer made of a group-III nitride compound on a substrate by activating and reacting gas including a group-V element with a metal material in plasma; and
sequentially forming an n-type semiconductor layer, a light-emitting layer, and a p-type semiconductor layer each made of a group-III nitride compound semiconductor on the intermediate layer,
wherein nitrogen is used as the group-V element,
the thickness of the intermediate layer is in the range of 20 to 80 nm,
the intermediate layer is formed by a sputtering method,
an underlying layer included in the n-type semiconductor is formed on the intermediate layer,
the underlying layer is formed of a GaN-based compound semiconductor, and
the intermediate layer has high crystallinity wherein a half width of an XRC spectrum of the (0002) plane of an undoped GaN layer is less than 150 arcsec, and a half width of an XRC spectrum of the (10-10) plane is less than 350 arcsec.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,
wherein the intermediate layer is formed by a sputtering method.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 2,
wherein the intermediate layer is formed by an RF sputtering method.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 3,
wherein the intermediate layer is formed by the RF sputtering method while swing a magnet of a cathode.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 2,
wherein the intermediate layer is formed by a reactive sputtering method that introduces gas including nitrogen into a reactor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,
wherein the metal material includes Al.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,
wherein the intermediate layer is formed of AlN.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,
wherein, when the intermediate layer is formed, the temperature of the substrate is in the range of room temperature to 1,000° C.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,
wherein, when the intermediate layer is formed, the temperature of the substrate is in the range of 200° C. to 800° C.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,
wherein the underlying layer is formed of GaN.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,
wherein the underlying layer is formed of AlGaN.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,
wherein the intermediate layer and the underlying layer are formed of different group-III nitride compounds.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,
wherein the underlying layer is formed on the intermediate layers by an MOCVD method.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,
wherein, when the underlying layer is formed, the temperature of the substrate is higher than 800° C.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

A group-III nitride compound semiconductor light-emitting device manufacturing method according to claim 1.