CA1089571A - Contacting structure on a semiconductor arrangement - Google Patents

Contacting structure on a semiconductor arrangement

Info

Publication number
CA1089571A
CA1089571A CA278,081A CA278081A CA1089571A CA 1089571 A CA1089571 A CA 1089571A CA 278081 A CA278081 A CA 278081A CA 1089571 A CA1089571 A CA 1089571A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
arrangement
zone
layer
gallium arsenide
face
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA278,081A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Jean C. Carballes
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Thales SA
Original Assignee
Thomson CSF SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Thomson CSF SA filed Critical Thomson CSF SA
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1089571A publication Critical patent/CA1089571A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01SDEVICES 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
    • H01S5/00Semiconductor lasers
    • H01S5/10Construction or shape of the optical resonator, e.g. extended or external cavity, coupled cavities, bent-guide, varying width, thickness or composition of the active region
    • H01S5/18Surface-emitting [SE] lasers, e.g. having both horizontal and vertical cavities
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01LSEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L33/00Semiconductor devices having potential barriers specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L33/36Semiconductor devices having potential barriers specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by the electrodes
    • H01L33/38Semiconductor devices having potential barriers specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by the electrodes with a particular shape
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01SDEVICES 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
    • H01S5/00Semiconductor lasers
    • H01S5/20Structure or shape of the semiconductor body to guide the optical wave ; Confining structures perpendicular to the optical axis, e.g. index or gain guiding, stripe geometry, broad area lasers, gain tailoring, transverse or lateral reflectors, special cladding structures, MQW barrier reflection layers
    • H01S5/22Structure or shape of the semiconductor body to guide the optical wave ; Confining structures perpendicular to the optical axis, e.g. index or gain guiding, stripe geometry, broad area lasers, gain tailoring, transverse or lateral reflectors, special cladding structures, MQW barrier reflection layers having a ridge or stripe structure

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geometry (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Led Devices (AREA)
  • Semiconductor Lasers (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE: In a new contacting structure on a semiconductor substrate, the upper surface of the substrate made of a material corres-ponding to the formula As1-x Alx Ga, with x#0.3, is partly covered by a layer of gallium arsenide. The whole of this surface is covered with a metallic layer. The zones of electrical current are localised below the layer of gallium arsenide.

Description

7~

~leterojunction structures based on gallium arsenide are primarily used in optical-fibre telecommunication systems. Accordingly, in ordex to obtain correct coupling of the light-emittin~ components with optical fibres, it is of j advantage to reduce the dimensions of their active parts by as ; much as possible.
Various processes have been used for this purpose, including the implantation of protons in order to render certain zones insulating, etching the so-called "mes~" type for eliminating certain unuseful zones, etc.
All these methods are attended by the disad-vantage that they involve the risk of the active parts of the , component to be damaged.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new contacting structure which enables the dimensions of the active parts of photosensitive or electroluminescent components to be reduced.
According to the invention a contacting structure on a semiconductor arrangement comprises a metallic layer deposited on one face of a sllbstrate, wherein said one face comprises at least one first and one second zone made respectively of a first material and a second material,the respective contacts on the first and second zones offering ,~ resistances of which one is very high and the other very low.
The invention will be better understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying ' drawings, wherein:

~l/

lO~ i7i Fig. 1 is a ~erspective view o a "laser" diode of known type.
Yigs. 2, 3 and 4 show a "laser" diode acco~ding to the invention during the various steps involved in its production.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view o this diode.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the "laser" cavity of the diode illustrated in Fig. 5.

~.
Fig. 7 is a cross-section through one example of embodi-ment of the invention. -In all the flgures~ the same references denote the same elements.
In Fig. 1, a monocrystalline substrate of galliumarsenide with transverse dimensions of the order of 100 microns to 300 microns has been cleaved on two opposite surfaces so that the surfaces are planar and parallel.
This substrate has, for example, n-type conductivity and is heavily doped (about 1018 at/cc).
A first layer 2 with a thickness of the order of 1 micron has been applied to this substrate by epitaxial growth, being of the same conductivit~ type as the substrate but having the composition Gal x AlxAs.
~ This epitaxial growth may be carried out in the liquid phase at 800C to 960C in a bath of gallium saturated with gallium arsenide and also containing aluminium in solution.
Processes o~ this t~pe are t.~ell known in the art. The value of ~; x may vary rom 0,1 to a.3. This layer is of ; : - - . , : .

'~, , , ~ , .

::

n-type conductivity, but with a doping concentration of 1016 to 1018 at/cc for example. Another layer which will ~- be the seat of the emission of light and which has the composition Ga1 y Aly As (y < x) has been applied to this 5 layer by the same process of epitaxial growth.
This layer 3 will have a thickness of the order of 0.1 to 1 micron and its conductivity type will be different.
The only condition is that the width of its forbidden band should be less than that of the layers by which it is enclo-10 sed. A layer 4 of different composition, Ga1 x~ A1x, As ~ (x' = approximately 0.3) and doped with p-type conductivity 3 is deposited onto this layer by the same process. The thickness ~ of the layer 4 is of the same order of magnitude as that ;~ of the layer 2. A terminal layer 5 of gallium arsenide heavily v 15 doped with pl type conductivity and having a thickness of the order of 1 micron is deposited onto the layer 4.
ç A double heterojunction diode is thus obtained and it is known that, for a range of voltages directly biassing the 4 ~ diode, the zone 3 may be the seat of electroluminescence . 20 phenomena. To make a laser, this phenomenon has to be loca-lised in a resonant cavity, i.e a cavity of which all the boundariesare determined with considerable precision.
; Known systems are subjected, for example, to attacks of the "mesa" type or to proton bombardment and, by masking, 25 certain parts of the above-mentioned layers are rendered ' insulating.
The localisation process according to the invention i ~
~ , , ,~ ~A~

.~ :
. ,.

' ~ ' ' : .

~O~t~P'7l and the component thus obtained are described with reference to the ollowing Eigurës:
Fiy. 2 sho~s the layers L, 2, 3, 4 and S ater their for-mation by epit~xy.
In Fig 3, the layer S has been attacked through a mask in such a way that it only remains in the form of a band exten-ding from one cle~ved surface to the other surface of the sub-strate. This band 6, which has a transverse dimension of the order of 1 micron, may be obtained with a great accuracy. The attack may be made either chemicaLly or by ion machining. It is carried out in such à way as to remove the layer 5 at the places where it has not been protected so as to expose the layer i 4. There thus remains a band 6 of gallium arsenide.
In Fig. 4, a metalLic layer 7 has been deposited onto the assembly, or example by evaporation in vacuo. A succession of metallic materials may be deposited in this way.
Now, it is known that the contacts on the layers made of materialssuch as Gal x' Alx, As (x' = approximately 0.3) and weakly doped oer a high resistance to the passage of the ~; 20 current~ By contrast, the metallic contacts on GaAs are very good. This would appear to be due to the fact that the pre-I sence of aluminium is the cause of the production of a thin - layer of alumina which acts as an insulator.
The result a this is that the lines o current are localised below the band of GaAs. Experience has shown that these lines of current remain substantially parallel and arrive , :~
on the active zone 3 perpendicularly of its two end aces.
The assembly thus obtained is shown in perspective in Fig. 5. It can be seen that the zone 3 is only luminescent in ~ 30 its part which faces the band 6 o GaAs. There has thus been ,~ .
s created in this zone a cavity o which the two extreme edges j ~ - 4 -~.
': , -~0~95'~'1 are the two cLeaved suraces o the substrate and which is delimited by vertical planes which are the respective extensions of the two vertical sides o~ the ~and of As and extending from one cleaved surface to the other of the substrate. This cavity has all the characteristics o a cavity of the PEROT-FABRY-type and is thus the seat of an emission of coherent light when the diode is excited. Its horizontal dimension may be of s the order of 0.1 to 1 micron and the radiation (Fiy. 6) takes i~ place laterally in the direction indicated by the arrow. It has thus been possible to ~tilise a generally troublesome property o contacts made on composition of the Gal x Alx As-:J~
type.
Fig. 7 shows an electroluminescent diode which emits light at its upper surface, In this Fig, the band of GaA~ is in the form o a ring and the upper layer is transparent to the radiation emitted, the current being concentrated in the central part o the diode.
The invention ma~ be appLied in many other cases where there is a need or a dielectric, or example in planar tech-nologyj in which case the metal zone interface GA Al As acts as the dielectric.

, ., : -.

~ ' : , ' : ~' : . _ 5 _ ., ..,, ,~,,,..

.,~

Claims (7)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A contacting structure on a semiconductor arrangement comprising a metallic layer deposited on one face of a sub-strate, wherein said one face comprises at least one first and one second zone made respectively of a first material and a second material, the respective contacts on the first and second zones offering resistances of which one is very high and the other very low.
2. A contacting structure of a semiconductor arrangement comprising a metallic layer deposited onto one face of this arrangement, wherein said surface of said arrangement com-prises at least one first and one second zone, said first zone covering partially said second zone and being made of a material ensuring good electrical contact with said metallic layer, said second zone containing, incorporated in said material, a readily oxidisable element the oxide of which is insulating.
3. A structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said material is gallium arsenide and said zone is made of the com-position Ga1-x Alx As with x approximately 0.3
4. A structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first zone is in the form of a rectangular ribbon extending from one lateral surface to the other surface of the arrangement.
5. A structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein said arrangement is a monocrystal having two cleaved lateral sur-faces.
6. A structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said arrangement is made of gallium arsenide and comprises epitaxied onto one of its faces, layers of opposite conductivity types and with the composition Ga1-x Alx As, x assuming a value sub-stantially equal to 0.3 for the upper layer, an intermediate layer having a composition corresponding to the formula Gay Al1-y As, y being selected in such a way that the forbidden band of this material is narrower than that of the two materials of which the two enclosing layers consist, a second contact being provided on the arrangement for directly biassing said junction and the portion of said intermediate layer situated below said band acting as a "laser" cavity.
7. A method of making contact on a semiconductor substrate made at least partly of a material corresponding to the formula Ga1-x Alx As with x approximately 0.3, wherein it comprises the steps of epitaxially growing gallium arsenide on one sur-face of the substrate, cutting the layer of gallium arsenide thus obtained and depositing metallic layers onto the arrangement thus obtained.
CA278,081A 1976-05-11 1977-05-10 Contacting structure on a semiconductor arrangement Expired CA1089571A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR7614163A FR2351504A1 (en) 1976-05-11 1976-05-11 NEW SWITCHING DEVICE ON A SEMICONDUCTOR ASSEMBLY
FR7614163 1976-05-11

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1089571A true CA1089571A (en) 1980-11-11

Family

ID=9172979

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA278,081A Expired CA1089571A (en) 1976-05-11 1977-05-10 Contacting structure on a semiconductor arrangement

Country Status (5)

Country Link
JP (1) JPS52137280A (en)
CA (1) CA1089571A (en)
DE (1) DE2721114A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2351504A1 (en)
GB (1) GB1545425A (en)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4182995A (en) * 1978-03-16 1980-01-08 Rca Corporation Laser diode with thermal conducting, current confining film
JPS5591890A (en) * 1978-12-28 1980-07-11 Fujitsu Ltd Photodiode
DE2856507A1 (en) * 1978-12-28 1980-07-17 Amann Markus Christian Dipl In SEMICONDUCTOR LASER DIODE
JPS55153385A (en) * 1979-05-18 1980-11-29 Nippon Telegr & Teleph Corp <Ntt> Current squeezing type semiconductor device
JPS5621387A (en) * 1979-07-31 1981-02-27 Fujitsu Ltd Semiconductor luminescent device
DE3332398A1 (en) * 1983-09-08 1985-03-28 Standard Elektrik Lorenz Ag, 7000 Stuttgart MULTIMODE LASER
CN116978999B (en) * 2023-09-22 2024-01-02 南昌凯捷半导体科技有限公司 Current-limited Micro-LED chip and manufacturing method thereof

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2351504A1 (en) 1977-12-09
JPS52137280A (en) 1977-11-16
GB1545425A (en) 1979-05-10
DE2721114A1 (en) 1977-11-24
FR2351504B1 (en) 1980-04-18

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Effective date: 19971112