A kind of manufacture method of gallium nitride based light emitting semiconductor device epitaxial wafer
Technical field
The present invention relates to a kind of extension manufacture method of gallium nitride based light emitting semiconductor device, belong to semiconductor light emitting technical field.
Background technology
In the field such as semiconductor light emitting and illumination, the semiconductor material with wide forbidden band being representative with gallium nitride and other III group-III nitrides becomes active material [the F.A.Ponce & D.P.bour of research gradually, NatureVol386,351(1997)], by the LED blue-green light LED successful development and application of gallium nitride based semi-conducting material manufacturing, and it is efficient with it, long-life, advantages such as environmental protection and extensively concerned, be applied in such as outdoor full-color large-size screen monitors display, LED street lamp, automobile daytime driving lamp, the aspects such as stop-light.The 2mw short-wave band gallium nitride based semiconductor laser of room temperature lower life-span more than 1000 hours also Success in Experiment in addition, theoretical life estimation can reach more than 10000 hours [ShujiNakamura, etal., Jpn.J.Appl.Phys.Vol.36, L1568-L1571(1997)], this means in the development in future, the luminescent device that semiconductor material with wide forbidden band makes can be applied to laser printer, Large Copacity information stores, and the aspects such as underwater communication, its prospect is very wide.
Although the extensive use of gallium nitride based blue green light LED, with technical, still there is the problem that some need to solve in cost.Crystal mass as heteroepitaxy is poor, defect concentration large [CarolI.H.Ashby, etal., Appl.Phys.Lett., 77,3233(2000)] and light outgoing efficiency low etc.Due to reasons such as material nature and heteroepitaxy lattice mismatches, fairly obvious [the FabioBernardini of polarity effect in active area, VincenzoFiorentini, PHYSICALREVIEWBVol57R9427(1998)], produce the problem [JinSeoIm such as such as quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE), etal., PHYSICALREVIEWBVol57, R9435(1998)].Gallium nitride based Refractive Index of Material is higher than normally used substrate or chip encapsulation material in addition, and this causes the light extraction comparison difficulty of device.The existence of these problems, makes device performance degradation above, the lost of life, and luminous efficiency reduces, and light extraction efficiency is low, constrains fast development and the application of gallium nitride based material.
Gallium nitride is typical III-nitride material, and occurring in nature is difficult to find gallium nitride, again due to the material behavior of itself, the techniques such as traditional crystal-pulling cannot be utilized to make large-area gallium nitride wafer substrate.Current making Ga Nitride Light emitting device is by Al
2o
3, in the foreign substrate such as SiC, Si, adopt the means epitaxial nitride gallium based materials such as MOCVD, MBE or HVPE to realize processing.By heteroepitaxial growth gallium nitride based material out, because between itself and substrate, lattice constant has difference, can there is a large amount of residual stresss and crystal defect in the reasons such as thermal coefficient of expansion is inconsistent in epitaxial loayer, this can make crystal mass decline, and crystals can exist a large amount of dislocations.Although studies have found that and first grow one deck resilient coating before the gallium nitride based material of extension to discharge crystal lattice stress [ShujiNakamuraetal. on substrate, Jpn.J.ofAppl.physics, 30, L1705(1991)], but this method still thoroughly cannot compensate lattice mismatch issue, in epitaxial loayer, still there is a large amount of defects.
Epitaxial lateral overgrowth technology (EpitaxialLateralOvergrowth in the research reducing crystal defect, ELO) widely [AkiraSakaia is paid close attention to, etal., Appl.Phys.Lett.71,2259(1997), TsvetankaS, etal., Appl.Phys.Lett.71,2472(1997)], by this technology, the 2mW short-wave band gallium nitride based semiconductor laser of room temperature with constant work more than 1000 hours is demonstrated out [ShujiNakamura, etal., Appl.Phys.Lett.72,211(1997)].On this basis, people have developed again single order epitaxial lateral overgrowth technology [1S-ELO, F.Bertram, etal., Appl.Phys.Lett.74,359(1999)], pendeo epitaxy [Pendeo-Epitaxy, T.S.Zheleva, etal., Appl.phys.lett.74,2492(1999)], second order epitaxial lateral overgrowth technology [2S-ELO, ZhonghaiYu, etal., MRSInternerJ.NitrideSemicond.Res.4S1.G4.3(1999)] etc. method.But these methods have the place of oneself deficiency, such as, epitaxial loayer produces, and repeatedly extension there will be the problems such as surface contamination.In further studying, on the basis of epitaxial lateral overgrowth, there is patterned substrate technology [T.V.Cuong, etAl., Appl.Phys.Lett.90,131107(2007)], this technology improves some problems that secondary epitaxy occurs, and improves the light extraction efficiency of device.In traditional handicraft, carry out outer time delay on patterned substrate surface, be all adopt to accelerate epitaxial lateral overgrowth speed, make epi-layer surface as far as possible smooth, and carry out the growth of other device architectures.
Gallium nitride based material is polar semiconductor material, and crystal in a particular direction (as [0001] direction) embodies spontaneous polarization.In addition in order to make multi-quantum pit structure, the epitaxial loayer of composition active area is all the film that heteroepitaxy produces, because heteroepitaxy can produce the problems such as lattice does not mate, cause film to be subject to effect of stress and make to produce strong piezoelectric field [FabioBernardini in active area, VincenzoFiorentini, PHYSICALREVIEWB, Vol57, R9427(1998)].The existence of piezoelectric field and spontaneous polarization electric field makes the photoelectric properties of device be adversely affected [as quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE)].The technology of improvement comprises non-polar plane or semi-polarity face substrate epitaxial technology etc. [PhilippeVenn é gues, etal., JOURNALOFAPPLIEDPHYSICS108,113521(2010)].
The refractive index of the refractive index ratio Sapphire Substrate of gallium nitride wants high, therefore small part light is only had can to launch from gallium nitride and substrate sapphire substrate interface, and the front surface encapsulation of device is rear and resin contact, most potting resin Refractive Index of Material is lower than gallium nitride, therefore, light is easy to because the reasons such as total reflection are reflected back, roundtrip between substrate interface and electrode, until sponged [MotokazuYAMADA by gallium nitride material, etal., Jpn.J.Appl.Phys.Vol.41, L1431 – L1433(2002)], thus the light extraction efficiency of luminescent device is very low.The structural representation of a kind of graphical epitaxial wafer in prior art is shown in accompanying drawing 1, comprise substrate 101, graph layer 102, cover layer 103, N-type GaN layer 104, active layer 105, P type GaN layer 106 and structure sheaf 107, obviously, the surface of described structure sheaf 107 is smooth, therefore light is easy to because the reasons such as total reflection are reflected back at this one deck, until sponged by N-type GaN layer 104, active layer 105 and P type GaN layer 106 etc.
Summary of the invention
The object of the present invention is to provide a kind of manufacture method of gallium nitride based light emitting semiconductor device epitaxial wafer, by taking this method, the light extraction efficiency at epitaxial structure and substrate interface place can be improved, improve the light extraction efficiency of chip surface, reduce the dislocation density in epitaxial loayer, weaken polarity effect in active area, improve device light emitting efficiency.
In order to solve the problem, technical scheme of the present invention comprises the steps: to grow into stratum nucleare at patterned substrate surface low-temperature; High annealing is implemented to nucleating layer, makes it be transformed into graininess nucleus, thus form rough surface; Grow undoped GaN layer, N-type GaN layer, InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well active layer and P type AlGaN layer on the patterned substrate surface with graininess nucleus successively and mix magnesium P type GaN layer, thus form the LED active layer structure with uneven surface: continue to adopt the technique growing surface structure sheaf identical with previous step, thus acquisition has rough surface texture layer.
The present invention utilizes the feature of side direction and longitudinal growth controllable-rate in GaN base Material growth technology in graph substrate, at early growth period, epitaxial material is first at the potential energy minimum point place of graph substrate, the i.e. surrounding of the outstanding shape of graph substrate or recess nucleating growth, its nucleating layer is after completing 500 DEG C ~ 650 DEG C low-temperature epitaxies, carry out 900 DEG C ~ 1100 DEG C the high temperature anneal, after annealing, form a large amount of graininess nucleus at substrate surface, these nucleus are the GaN epitaxial layer with low pole face.Because side direction and longitudinal growth rate are than can being controlled by the growth conditions of reative cell, by controlling growth conditions: growth temperature, growth pressure, the longitudinal growth speed (perpendicular to epitaxial substrate plane) of nucleus is controlled higher than cross growth speed (being parallel to epitaxial substrate plane) with parameters such as V/III ratios, when adjacent particle shape nucleus epitaxial lateral overgrowth part combines between two, make epitaxial growth plane is formed with the rough island structure demonstrating the different crystal face of gallium nitride based semiconductor crystal, namely formed nonplanar, rough GaN epitaxial layer, then other structure of continued growth in this rough structure.
Gallium nitride based LED epitaxial slice structure of the present invention comprises nucleating layer, N-type GaN layer, InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well active layer, P type AlGaN layer, P type GaN layer and surface texture layer from bottom to up successively on patterned substrate surface.
Optionally, described patterned substrate, can by Al
2o
3, SiC, Si, GaAs, LiAlO
2, MgAl
2o
4, ScMgAlO
4, ZnO and be suitable for gallium nitride based epitaxial growth of semiconductor material growth substrate processing and fabricating form.Its graphic structure of patterned substrate can be that shape is given prominence in regularly arranged cycle bar shaped, cycle bar shaped concave shape, the bulb-shaped recess structure in cycle, the spherical outstanding structure in cycle, or pyramid structure, non-polar plane or the semi-polarity face of substrate surface can be the polar surface of crystal also can be crystal.
Optionally, described nucleating layer material is Al
xin
yga
1-x-yn, wherein 0≤X≤1,0≤Y≤1.Nucleating layer low-temperature epitaxy thickness is between 15nm ~ 100nm, and surfacing, after high-temperature process, surface continuous print nucleating layer becomes a large amount of island particle nucleus, island diameter is about between 150nm ~ 500nm, highly be about between 60nm ~ 500nm, be arranged in graph substrate and give prominence to the periphery of shape or the recess of graph substrate concave shape.
Optionally, described active layer adopts the InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Well in 3 ~ 10 cycles, is produced on and " is copied " above the N-type GaN layer with uneven surface of coming up by substrate surface island grain structure.
Optionally, described P-type dopant is selected from least one in Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Ra, and described N-type dopant is selected from least one in C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, O, S, Se, Te, Po and Be.
The present invention adopts low pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition system (LP-MOCVD) equipment, utilizes high-purity H
2and N
2as carrier gas, carry out the preparation of LED.
Conventional gallium nitride system luminescent device is after completing nucleating layer structure, horizontal extension speed is accelerated in capital, make the cross growth merging as early as possible of nucleus particle, obtain smooth gallium nitride surface, and in these other structures of continued growth (as shown in accompanying drawing 1 of the prior art) on the surface.Different from conventional epitaxial process and traditional graph substrate epitaxial technique, first the present invention makes island nucleating layer on patterned substrate surface, then by controlling epitaxial growth conditions, make the growth rate of the different exposed surface of nucleating layer inner-island shape nucleus different, graininess nucleus not of uniform size is formed after high annealing, then, control growth conditions, make longitudinal growth speed (direction perpendicular to epitaxial substrate plane) higher than cross growth speed, thus in growth plane, form rough epitaxial surface, and complete subsequent epitaxial structure on this interface.By this method, these rough structures on substrate can be made successively to be delivered to epitaxial wafer surface, the crystal column surface delayed outside having made still has this rough structure on substrate surface.With epitaxial lateral overgrowth technology or patterned substrate epitaxy technology similar, this structure can reduce dislocation density.And owing to being the growth rate controlling crystal different surfaces, thus the rough growing surface obtained is actually the embodiment of the different crystal face of crystal, its local evenness is good, and these crystal faces are generally non-polar plane or semi-polarity face, in its polarity effect of active area multilayer material of these nonpolar or semi-polar gallium nitride based material surface growths, the harmful effect of device property will obviously be weakened, compared with the active area structure that tradition is smooth, the active region growth of structure of the present invention is on rough n type gallium nitride, the light-emitting area making active area total increases, rising angle is more random.These uneven island particles in addition on substrate surface all have randomness from aspects such as size, outward appearance and distributing positions, this makes the light extraction efficiency at this interface greatly increase, and the concaveconvex structure that chip surface is formed simultaneously also improves the light extraction efficiency in front.
Compared with traditional LED component substrat structure, advantage of the present invention effectively improves luminous efficiency and the light extraction efficiency of light emitting semiconductor device, reduces dislocation density, and then improve the photoelectric properties of device.
Accompanying drawing explanation
Accompanying drawing 1 is the structural representation of a kind of graphical epitaxial wafer in prior art.
Accompanying drawing 2 is the process schematic representation of the method for the invention.
Embodiment
Elaborate below in conjunction with the embodiment of accompanying drawing to the manufacture method of a kind of gallium nitride based light emitting semiconductor device epitaxial wafer provided by the invention.
Be easier to make manufacturing process understand, in embodiment, employing being made bluish-green gallium nitride (GaN) for MOCVD is that LED is described, but structure of the present invention not can be used only in the making of blue green light LED.In example with patterned sapphire substrate (C-Plane) for extension processing is carried out in substrate, the sectional side view of epitaxial structure is as shown in Figure of description 2.In addition, for making the epitaxial growth equipment that the present invention carries out, not only can adopt MOCVD, also can use MBE, HVPE homepitaxy equipment.In embodiment, only emphasis describes the characteristic of invention, it is carry out for enabling reader understand inventive features in more detail that other accessory structures or procedure of processing routine describe, the feasibility of structure fabrication of the present invention to be described, adopt architectural feature of the present invention, use other accessory structures or procedure of processing and the device made still belongs within described claim.
The attached process schematic representation that Figure 2 shows that the method for the invention, the manufacture method concrete steps of a kind of gallium nitride based light emitting semiconductor device epitaxial wafer of the present invention are as follows:
Patterned Sapphire Substrate 201 is placed in MOCVD reative cell, first reative cell is warming up within the scope of 600 DEG C ~ 1100 DEG C, pass at least one gas in ammonia, hydrogen and silane, substrate surface is processed.
Reative cell is cooled within the scope of 550 DEG C ~ 560 DEG C, preferably 560 DEG C, pass into TMGa and ammonia, TMGa flow control is at 20sccm-30sccm, ammonia flow controls at 2000sccm-2500sccm, reaction pressure controls at about 300Torr, grows 60 seconds to 120 seconds, obtains the resilient coating that 20 ~ 30nm is thick.
At 900 ~ 1100 DEG C, the high temperature anneal, obtains a large amount of graininess nucleus 202.
Reaction chamber temperature is promoted between 1000 DEG C ~ 1150 DEG C, be under the condition of carrier gas with hydrogen, ammonia flow is kept to be about 0.13mol/min ~ 0.15mol/min, TMG flow control is 98 μm of ol/min ~ 105 μm ol/min, make the value of V/III in reative cell be about 1350, the pressure in reative cell controls at 300Torr, grows 2 μm of thick undoped GaN layer 203, then reative cell increase passes into Si source, the N-type doped gan layer 207 that regrowth 2 μm is thick.By above condition, the longitudinal growth speed (perpendicular to epitaxial substrate plane) of nucleus can be controlled higher than cross growth speed (being parallel to epitaxial substrate plane).{ 1-101}, { particular crystal plane such as 11-22}, macroscopically presents rough island structure such epitaxial growth plane to embody GaN crystal.
Reative cell is cooled within the scope of 650 ~ 900 DEG C, preferably 760 ~ 850 DEG C, grows the In in 5 cycles
xga
1-xn(0<X<1)/GaN multi-quantum pit structure 204, as active area.
After completing, reaction chamber temperature is risen to 1040 ~ 1080 DEG C of growing P-type AlGaN layer, growth thickness scope is 15 ~ 25nm, and during growth, reative cell passes into Ga source, N source, Al source, Mg source.
Pass into Ga source, N source, Mg source continued growth P type Doped GaN material in reative cell, growth thickness is 0.01 ~ 1 μm, and preferred thickness is 0.1 ~ 0.3 μm, the composite bed 205 that formation P type AlGaN layer and P type Doped GaN material are formed jointly.The growth technique of above N-type doped gan layer 207, multi-quantum pit structure 204 and composite bed 205 can keep original rough surface topography.
Finally, according to device instructions for use, at transparent conducting structures 206 such as P type GaN superficial growth ohmic contact optimization layer, light-extraction layer or antistatic layers, these structures can adopt the reaction pressure of about 300Torr, the value of V/III is about 1350, epitaxial growth time 120s-180s, by the adjustment of these parameters, can keep the rough pattern of crystal column surface.After completing growth, dopant can be activated by 700 ~ 750 DEG C of annealing 20 ~ 25min in reative cell or under the outer nitrogen atmosphere of reative cell.
So far complete the growth of epitaxial wafer, follow-up operation epitaxial wafer being processed as LED chip repeats no more.
In above epitaxial wafer preparation process, the material source of MOCVD growing gallium nitride based semiconductor crystal is respectively: TMGa provides Ga source, TMIn provides In source, TMAl provides Al source, ammonia provides N source, CP2Mg provides P-type dopant Mg source, and silane provides N-type dopant Si source, and carrier gas is at least one in hydrogen or nitrogen.
The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention; it should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, under the premise without departing from the principles of the invention; can also make some improvements and modifications, these improvements and modifications also should be considered as protection scope of the present invention.