JP2012169540A - Semiconductor element manufacturing method and semiconductor element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor element manufacturing method achieving high productivity and manufacturing yield, and to provide a low cost semiconductor element.SOLUTION: A semiconductor manufacturing method comprises: a semiconductor laminate structure formation step of forming, on a substrate, a semiconductor laminate structure including a first semiconductor layer composed of a group III-V compound semiconductor containing aluminum, a second semiconductor layer composed of a group III-V compound semiconductor containing aluminum located above the first semiconductor layer and having an opening pattern, and a third semiconductor layer located between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer and composed of a material having a large etching selection ratio against the first and the second semiconductor layer when a predetermined etching gas is used; an etching step of etch removing the third semiconductor layer under the opening pattern of the second semiconductor layer by the predetermined etching gas by using the first semiconductor layer as an etch stop layer; and a semiconductor layer formation step of forming a fourth semiconductor layer in a groove formed in the etching step in the third semiconductor layer.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element and a semiconductor element.

  Conventionally, when a semiconductor laser device, which is a semiconductor device provided with a group III-V compound semiconductor layer containing aluminum (Al) (hereinafter referred to as an Al-based compound semiconductor layer), is manufactured, the Al-based compound semiconductor layer is oxidized. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor laser element while preventing it is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, first, in a semiconductor crystal growth apparatus, a semiconductor layer is grown on an InP substrate so that an active layer made of an Al-based compound semiconductor is included in the stacked structure of the InP semiconductor layer. . Next, a selective mask made of a SiNx film is formed on the surface of the laminated structure, and then selective etching is performed using the bromine-based etching gas using the selective mask as an etching mask to form a semiconductor layer made of InP in a mesa stripe shape. To do. In this selective etching, the active layer becomes an etch stop layer. Subsequent to the selective etching, the mesa structure is embedded and grown using the selective mask as a growth mask. Next, after removing the selection mask, a semiconductor layer is further grown to manufacture a desired semiconductor laser device.

JP 2002-118327 A

  However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to take out the InP substrate from the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus twice when forming and removing the selective mask made of SiNx, and the InP taken out along with this is necessary. Since it is necessary to return the substrate to the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus again, there is a problem that the manufacturing process increases. In addition, since the InP substrate may be contaminated when the InP substrate is taken out from the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus, there is a problem that the manufacturing yield of the semiconductor laser device may be reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element and a low-cost semiconductor element with high productivity and high manufacturing yield.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a semiconductor device manufacturing method according to the present invention includes a first semiconductor layer made of a group III-V compound semiconductor containing aluminum, and a group III-V containing aluminum. A compound semiconductor, located above the first semiconductor layer, located between the second semiconductor layer having an opening pattern, the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer, and having a predetermined A semiconductor multilayer structure forming step of forming, on the substrate, a semiconductor multilayer structure including a third semiconductor layer made of a material having a high etching selectivity with respect to the first and second semiconductor layers when an etching gas is used; Etching to remove the third semiconductor layer under the opening pattern of the second semiconductor layer with the predetermined etching gas using the first semiconductor layer as an etch stop layer Degree and, characterized in that it comprises a semiconductor layer forming step of forming a fourth semiconductor layer on said third semiconductor layer which is formed in the groove by the etching process.

  In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor element according to the present invention, in the above invention, the step of forming the semiconductor multilayer structure has an etching selectivity with respect to the first and second semiconductor layers on the second semiconductor layer. Including a step of forming a fifth semiconductor layer made of a large material, and in the etching step, the second semiconductor layer is used as an etch stop layer, and the fifth semiconductor layer is etched away with the predetermined etching gas. It is characterized by that.

  In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor element according to the present invention, in the above invention, the etching gas is a bromine-based etching gas, and the third or fifth semiconductor layer does not contain Al, In, Ga, As, and It is a group III-V compound semiconductor layer containing at least two of P.

  In the method of manufacturing a semiconductor element according to the present invention, in the above invention, the substrate is made of InP, the first and second semiconductor layers are made of AlInAs or AlGaInAs, and the third or fifth semiconductor layer is made of It consists of InP or GaInAsP.

  In the semiconductor device manufacturing method according to the present invention, in the above invention, the substrate is made of GaAs, the first and second semiconductor layers are made of AlGaAs, and the third or fifth semiconductor layer is made of GaInP. It consists of GaInAsP.

  In the semiconductor device manufacturing method according to the present invention, the first semiconductor layer is an active layer or an SCH layer in the above invention.

  In the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention, in the above invention, the semiconductor device is a semiconductor laser device having a SAS structure, the third semiconductor layer is a current blocking layer, and the etching step is performed on the active layer. A stripe groove for forming a channel for current injection is formed.

  Moreover, the semiconductor element according to the present invention comprises a substrate, a first semiconductor layer made of a III-V compound semiconductor containing aluminum and formed on the substrate, and a III-V compound semiconductor containing aluminum, A second semiconductor layer located above the first semiconductor layer and having an opening pattern; and located between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer; A third semiconductor layer made of a material having a groove matching the shape of the opening pattern and having a high etching selectivity with respect to the first and second semiconductor layers when a predetermined etching gas is used; and at least the first And a fourth semiconductor layer formed in the groove of the third semiconductor layer.

  In the semiconductor device according to the present invention, in the above invention, the third semiconductor layer is a group III-V compound semiconductor layer that does not contain Al and contains at least two of In, Ga, As, and P. It is characterized by.

  In the semiconductor device according to the present invention, in the above invention, the substrate is made of InP, the first and second semiconductor layers are made of AlInAs or AlGaInAs, and the third semiconductor layer is made of InP or GaInAsP. It is characterized by.

  In the semiconductor device according to the present invention, the substrate is made of GaAs, the first and second semiconductor layers are made of AlGaAs, and the third semiconductor layer is made of GaInP or GaInAsP. And

  In the semiconductor device according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, the first semiconductor layer is an active layer or an SCH layer.

  In the semiconductor device according to the present invention, the semiconductor device is a semiconductor laser device having a SAS structure, the third semiconductor layer is a current blocking layer, and current is injected into the active layer in the groove. A channel is formed for.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a semiconductor element with high productivity and manufacturing yield, and to realize an inexpensive semiconductor element.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the semiconductor laser device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the semiconductor laser element shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the semiconductor laser element shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the semiconductor laser element shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the semiconductor laser element shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the semiconductor laser device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a method of manufacturing the semiconductor laser element shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the semiconductor laser element shown in FIG.

  Embodiments of a semiconductor device manufacturing method and a semiconductor device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Moreover, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected suitably to the same or corresponding element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each layer, the ratio of each layer, and the like may differ from the actual ones. Even between the drawings, there are cases in which portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor laser element that is a semiconductor element according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor laser device 100 includes a substrate 2 made of n-type InP having an n-side electrode 1 formed on the back surface, and a lower clad made of n-type InP sequentially formed on the substrate 2. Layer 3, active layer 4 made of AlGaInAs, two current blocking layers 5 made of lower blocking layer 5a made of p-type InP and upper blocking layer 5b made of n-type InP, and two etches made of p-type AlInAs And a stop layer 6.

  The etch stop layer 6 is divided into two, and an opening pattern extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface is formed therebetween. Between the two current blocking layers 5 and the etch stop layer 6, the upper surface of the active layer 4 is used as the bottom surface, and the active layer 4 extends in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface so as to match the shape of the opening pattern of the etch stop layer 6. A stripe groove G is formed. The width of the stripe groove G is, for example, 3 μm, but the width is appropriately set so that light having the laser oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser element 100 can be guided in a single mode.

  Further, the semiconductor laser device 100 includes an optical waveguide layer 7 made of p-type GaInAsP formed from the surface of the etch stop layer 6 to the inner surface of the stripe groove G, and p-type InP formed on the optical waveguide layer 7. An upper clad layer 8, a contact layer 9 made of p-type GaInAs and sequentially formed on the upper clad layer 8, and a p-side electrode 10. Further, a reflection film for forming an optical resonator is formed on the end face of the semiconductor laser element 100 formed in parallel with the paper surface.

  The active layer 4 is, for example, an MQW− in which a separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) layer is formed above and below a multi quantum well (MQW) layer composed of alternately stacked well layers and barrier layers. It has an SCH structure. However, the structure of the active layer 4 is not particularly limited, and the SCH layer may not be provided, or a single quantum well structure or a bulk structure may be used. Further, since the active layer 4 is made of AlGaInAs, laser oscillation in the 1.3 μm band can be realized. The composition of the active layer 4 is appropriately set according to the desired laser oscillation wavelength.

  In this semiconductor laser device 100, a so-called SAS (Self (Self-Self-Discrete)) (Self Self) (Self Self) (Self Self) (Self Self) (Self Self) (Self-Self-Self) (Self-Self-Self) (Self-Self)) is formed in the stripe groove G between two current blocking layers 5 is formed. Aligned Structure) structure. Therefore, since the semiconductor laser element 100 can effectively confine current carriers and light in the channel, laser oscillation with low threshold current and high efficiency can be realized.

  In addition, since the active layer 4 is made of AlGaInAs, the semiconductor laser device 100 has excellent temperature characteristics because of less leakage of electron carriers even at high temperatures, and also has high-speed modulation characteristics because of high mobility of hole carriers. ing.

  In addition, since the semiconductor laser device 100 has a pnp junction formed by the current blocking layer 5 and the etch stop layer 6 and forms a steep pn interface, it has excellent current blocking characteristics, so that it has higher efficiency. It becomes this laser element.

  Further, in the semiconductor laser device 100, as described below, the stripe groove G uses the etch stop layer 6 that is an Al-based compound semiconductor layer as an etching mask, and stops the active layer 4 that is an Al-based compound semiconductor layer. Since it is formed by etching as a layer, it is a low-cost one manufactured with high productivity and manufacturing yield by a simpler manufacturing process than before.

(Production method)
Next, a method for manufacturing the semiconductor laser element 100 will be described. 2 to 5 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing the semiconductor laser device 100 shown in FIG.

  First, the substrate 2 is introduced into a semiconductor crystal growth apparatus such as a MOCVD (metal organic chemical vapor deposition) apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2, a lower cladding layer 3, an active layer 4, a lower blocking layer 5a are formed on the substrate 2. The current blocking layer 5 composed of the upper blocking layer 5 b and the etch stop layer 6 are sequentially formed, and the protective layer 11 composed of p-type InP is further formed on the etch stop layer 6.

  Next, the substrate 2 is taken out from the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus. At this time, the etch stop layer 6, which is an Al-based compound semiconductor layer, is protected by the protective layer 11, so that it is prevented from being exposed to the atmosphere and being oxidized. As a result, the crystallinity of a semiconductor layer formed later on the etch stop layer 6 is improved.

Next, after the taken-out substrate 2 is introduced into a plasma CVD apparatus and a SiNx film is formed on the entire surface, the openings in the shape of stripe grooves G are formed in the SiNx film by photolithography and dry etching using a CF ₄ gas. A pattern is formed to form a mask M1, and the etch stop layer 6 and the protective layer 11 in the opening pattern of the mask M1 are removed by wet etching or dry etching to form a stripe groove G (see FIG. 3). Thereafter, the mask M1 is removed.

Next, the substrate 2 is again introduced into the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus, and the protective layer 11 and the current blocking layer 5 in the stripe groove G are removed by etching using CBr ₄ gas which is a bromine-based gas (see FIG. 4). This etching step is performed, for example, by setting the etching temperature to 600 ° C. and supplying CBr ₄ gas at 3 μmol / min in a PH ₃ atmosphere. In this case, the etching rate is 20 nm / min.

Here, the CBr ₄ gas etches the protective layer 11 and the current blocking layer 5 made of InP, but does not etch the active layer 4 and the etch stop layer 6 that are Al-based compound semiconductor layers. Therefore, etching can be stopped on the upper surface of the etch stop layer 6 outside the stripe groove G and on the upper surface of the active layer 4 in the stripe groove G. That is, the active layer 4 also functions as an etch stop layer. As a result, the bottom surface of the stripe groove G reaches the depth of the upper surface of the active layer 4.

  Following this etching step, as shown in FIG. 5, the optical waveguide layer 7 and the upper clad layer 8 are formed in the stripe groove G, and the contact layer 9 is further formed in the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus. Finally, the p-side electrode 10 is formed on the upper surface of the contact layer 9, the back surface is polished so that the substrate 2 has a desired thickness, and then the n-side electrode 1 is formed. Then, the end surface is formed by cleavage and reflected on the end surface. A film is formed and the elements are separated to complete the semiconductor laser element 100.

  Thus, in this manufacturing method, after the etching process, the substrate 2 can be continued without being taken out of the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus, and the remaining semiconductor layers can be formed. As a result, the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus can be taken out only once, and the manufacturing process is simplified. As a result, the productivity of the semiconductor laser device 100 is increased and the substrate 2 is less likely to be contaminated when taken out. Therefore, the manufacturing yield is increased. In addition, although a part of the surface of the active layer 4 is exposed in the stripe groove G in the etching process, this surface is not exposed to the atmosphere after that, so there is no possibility of being oxidized. As a result, since the crystallinity of the semiconductor layer formed on the active layer 4 is improved, the semiconductor laser device 100 having excellent reliability can be realized.

Further, in the etching process, etching with CBr ₄ gas having high controllability of the etching depth is performed, so that the in-plane uniformity of the laser characteristics of the semiconductor laser element 100 is increased. Further, unlike the prior art, since selective etching and selective growth are not performed using the SiNx film, the semiconductor layer is not damaged by thermal stress due to SiNx having a thermal expansion coefficient different from that of the semiconductor layer. Further, there is no damage due to dry etching when removing the SiNx film. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the reliability of the semiconductor laser device 100 due to these damages.

In order to make the active layer 4 and the etch stop layer 6 function as an etch stop layer for the InP semiconductor layer when CBr ₄ gas is used, the active layer 4 and the etch stop layer 6 contain Al. This is very important. The Al composition of the active layer 4 and the etch stop layer 6 is preferably as large as possible, but is, for example, 5% or more. Further, the upper limit of the Al composition is 48%, for example.

  As described above, according to the present manufacturing method, the semiconductor laser device 100 can be manufactured with high productivity and manufacturing yield, and the low-cost semiconductor laser device 100 can be realized.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the semiconductor laser device according to the first embodiment, the active layer that is an Al-based compound semiconductor layer is used as the etch stop layer. However, in the semiconductor laser device according to the second embodiment, the active layer and the active layer are disposed above the active layer. Has a structure with a separate etch stop layer.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the semiconductor laser device according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the semiconductor laser device 200 includes a substrate 2 having an n-side electrode 1 formed on the back surface, a lower cladding layer 3 formed sequentially on the substrate 2, an active layer 12 made of GaInAsP, An etch stop layer 13 made of p-type AlInAs, two current blocking layers 5 made of a lower blocking layer 5a and an upper blocking layer 5b, and two etch stop layers 6 are provided.

  The etch stop layer 6 is divided into two, and an opening pattern extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface is formed therebetween. Between the two current blocking layers 5 and the etch stop layer 6, the top surface of the etch stop layer 13 is used as a bottom surface, and is extended in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface so as to match the shape of the opening pattern of the etch stop layer 6. A stripe groove G is formed. Further, the semiconductor laser device 200 includes an optical waveguide layer 7 formed from the surface of the etch stop layer 6 to the inner surface of the stripe groove G, an upper cladding layer 8 formed on the optical waveguide layer 7, and an upper cladding layer. A contact layer 9 and a p-side electrode 10 are sequentially formed on the substrate 8. Also, a reflection film for forming an optical resonator is formed on the end face of the semiconductor laser element 200 formed in parallel with the paper surface.

  That is, when comparing the semiconductor laser element 100 and the semiconductor laser element 200 shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor laser element 200 includes the active layer 12 made of GaInAsP and the etch stop layer 13 made of p-type AlInAs on the active layer 12. The point is different.

  Similar to the semiconductor laser element 100, the semiconductor laser element 200 has a SAS structure, and a pnp junction is realized by the current blocking layer 5 and the etch stop layer 6. Therefore, the semiconductor laser element 200 can realize laser oscillation with a low threshold current and high efficiency, and is excellent in current blocking characteristics, so that it becomes a more efficient laser element. Note that, when the active layer 12 is made of GaInAsP, laser oscillation in the 1.3 to 1.6 μm band can be realized. The composition of the active layer 12 is appropriately set according to a desired laser oscillation wavelength. The active layer 12 has an MQW-SCH structure like the active layer 4, but is not particularly limited.

  Further, in the semiconductor laser device 200, the stripe groove G is etched by using the etch stop layer 6 that is an Al-based compound semiconductor layer as an etching mask and the etch stop layer 13 that is an Al-based compound semiconductor layer as an etch stop layer. Is formed. Therefore, similarly to the semiconductor laser device 100, it is a low-cost device manufactured with high productivity and manufacturing yield by a simpler manufacturing process than before.

(Production method)
Next, a method for manufacturing the semiconductor laser element 200 will be described. 7 to 8 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing the semiconductor laser element 200 shown in FIG.

  First, as in the case of the semiconductor laser element 100, the substrate 2 is introduced into a semiconductor crystal growth apparatus such as an MOCVD apparatus, and the lower cladding layer 3, the active layer 12, the etch stop layer 13, and the lower blocking layer 5a are formed on the substrate 2. And the upper blocking layer 5 b and the current blocking layer 5 and the etch stop layer 6 are sequentially formed, and a protective layer 11 made of p-type InP is formed on the etch stop layer 6. Next, the substrate 2 is taken out from the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus.

  Next, the taken-out substrate 2 is introduced into a plasma CVD apparatus, a mask M1 is formed in the same manner as in the case of the semiconductor laser element 100, and the etch stop layer 6 and the protection in the opening pattern of the mask M1 are further formed by wet etching or dry etching. The layer 11 is removed to form a stripe groove G (see FIG. 7). Thereafter, the mask M1 is removed.

Next, the substrate 2 is again introduced into the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus, and the protective layer 11 and the current blocking layer 5 in the stripe groove G are removed by etching using CBr ₄ gas (see FIG. 8). At this time, etching can be stopped on the upper surface of the etch stop layer 6 outside the stripe groove G and on the upper surface of the etch stop layer 13 in the stripe groove G.

  Following this etching step, as in the case of the semiconductor laser device 100, the optical waveguide layer 7, the upper cladding layer 8, and the contact layer 9 are sequentially formed in the semiconductor crystal growth apparatus. Finally, the p-side electrode 10 is formed on the upper surface of the contact layer 9, the back surface is polished so that the substrate 2 has a desired thickness, and then the n-side electrode 1 is formed. Then, the end surface is formed by cleavage and reflected on the end surface. A film is formed and the elements are separated to complete the semiconductor laser element 200.

  As described above, also in this manufacturing method, as in the case of the semiconductor laser element 100, the productivity of the semiconductor laser element 200 is increased and the manufacturing yield is increased. Further, since the surface of the etch stop layer 13 exposed in the stripe groove G in the etching process is not subsequently exposed to the atmosphere, there is no possibility of being oxidized. As a result, the crystallinity of the semiconductor layer formed on the etch stop layer 13 is improved, so that the semiconductor laser device 200 with excellent reliability can be realized. Furthermore, the in-plane uniformity of the laser characteristics of the semiconductor laser element 200 is increased.

In addition, when the CBr ₄ gas is used, in order for the etch stop layer 13 to function as an etch stop layer for the InP semiconductor layer, it is important that the etch stop layer 13 contains Al. The Al composition of the etch stop layer 13 is preferably as large as possible, but is preferably 5% or more, for example, and the upper limit is 48%, for example.

  As described above, according to the present manufacturing method, the semiconductor laser device 200 can be manufactured with high productivity and manufacturing yield, and the low-cost semiconductor laser device 200 can be realized.

  In the semiconductor laser device 200 according to the second embodiment, the active layer 12 is made of GaInAsP. However, the active layer 12 may be replaced with an active layer made of AlGaInAs similar to the semiconductor laser device 100.

  In the semiconductor laser device 200 according to the second embodiment, the etch stop layer 13 is formed immediately above the active layer 12, but another semiconductor layer is interposed between the active layer 12 and the etch stop layer 13. It may be inserted.

  In the first embodiment, the entire active layer 4 is made of an Al-based compound semiconductor. For example, at least the SCH layer above the active layer 4 is made of an Al-based compound semiconductor, and the MQW layer is made of, for example, GaInAsP containing no Al. It may be configured.

In the above embodiment, CBr ₄ gas is used as the etching gas for forming the stripe groove, but other bromine-based gas such as CH ₃ Br may be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the semiconductor layer etched so that etching may be stopped with an Al type compound semiconductor layer consists of InP. However, the semiconductor layer to be etched is not limited to InP, but a semiconductor layer made of a material having a sufficiently high etching selection ratio with the Al-based compound semiconductor layer with respect to the bromine-based gas used (for example, 10 or more, more preferably 1000 or more). If it is. Therefore, for example, a semiconductor layer composed of a III-V compound semiconductor layer (P-based compound semiconductor layer) containing phosphorus (P) without containing Al, such as GaInAsP, or In, Ga, As, and P containing no Al. The semiconductor layer which consists of a III-V group compound semiconductor layer containing at least 2 of these may be sufficient.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the board | substrate which consists of InP is used, you may use the board | substrate which consists of GaAs. In this case, an Al-based compound semiconductor layer for stopping etching can be made of AlGaAs. Further, as the P-based compound semiconductor layer to be etched, a layer made of GaInP or GaInAsP can be used.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a semiconductor laser element having a SAS structure. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, a structure in which a groove having a predetermined shape is formed in a semiconductor multilayer structure and another semiconductor layer is grown in the groove, as in the case of performing butt joint growth. It can be applied to any semiconductor device having

  Further, the present invention is not limited by the above embodiment. What was comprised combining each component mentioned above suitably is also contained in this invention. In addition, other embodiments, examples, operational techniques, and the like made by those skilled in the art based on the above-described embodiments are all included in the present invention.

1 n-side electrode 2 substrate 3 lower cladding layer 4, 12 active layer 5 current blocking layer 5a lower blocking layer 5b upper blocking layer 6, 13 etch stop layer 7 optical waveguide layer 8 upper cladding layer 9 contact layer 10 p-side electrode 11 protection Layer 100, 200 Semiconductor laser element G Striped groove M1 Mask

Claims (13)

A first semiconductor layer made of a group III-V compound semiconductor containing aluminum, and a second semiconductor made of a group III-V compound semiconductor containing aluminum and located above the first semiconductor layer and having an opening pattern And a material having a high etching selectivity with respect to the first and second semiconductor layers when a predetermined etching gas is used, and located between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer. A semiconductor multilayer structure forming step of forming a semiconductor multilayer structure including a third semiconductor layer on the substrate;
An etching step of etching and removing the third semiconductor layer under the opening pattern of the second semiconductor layer with the predetermined etching gas using the first semiconductor layer as an etch stop layer;
A semiconductor layer forming step of forming a fourth semiconductor layer in a groove formed in the third semiconductor layer by the etching step;
The manufacturing method of the semiconductor element characterized by the above-mentioned. The semiconductor multilayer structure forming step includes a step of forming a fifth semiconductor layer made of a material having a high etching selectivity with respect to the first and second semiconductor layers on the second semiconductor layer,
2. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein, in the etching step, the fifth semiconductor layer is etched away with the predetermined etching gas using the second semiconductor layer as an etch stop layer. 3. .   The etching gas is a bromine-based etching gas, and the third or fifth semiconductor layer is a group III-V compound semiconductor layer that does not contain Al but contains at least two of In, Ga, As, and P. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein:   4. The semiconductor according to claim 3, wherein the substrate is made of InP, the first and second semiconductor layers are made of AlInAs or AlGaInAs, and the third or fifth semiconductor layer is made of InP or GaInAsP. Device manufacturing method.   4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3, wherein the substrate is made of GaAs, the first and second semiconductor layers are made of AlGaAs, and the third or fifth semiconductor layer is made of GaInP or GaInAsP. Production method.   The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor layer is an active layer or an SCH layer.   The semiconductor element is a semiconductor laser element having a SAS structure, the third semiconductor layer is a current blocking layer, and the etching step forms a stripe groove for forming a channel for current injection into the active layer. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: A substrate,
A first semiconductor layer made of a group III-V compound semiconductor containing aluminum formed on the substrate;
A second semiconductor layer comprising an III-V group compound semiconductor containing aluminum, located above the first semiconductor layer and having an opening pattern;
The first semiconductor layer has a groove located between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer, and has a groove that matches the shape of the opening pattern of the second semiconductor layer. When a predetermined etching gas is used, the first semiconductor layer is used. And a third semiconductor layer made of a material having a high etching selectivity with respect to the second semiconductor layer,
A fourth semiconductor layer formed at least in the trench of the third semiconductor layer;
A semiconductor device comprising:   9. The semiconductor element according to claim 8, wherein the third semiconductor layer is a group III-V compound semiconductor layer that does not contain Al and contains at least two of In, Ga, As, and P.   10. The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the substrate is made of InP, the first and second semiconductor layers are made of AlInAs or AlGaInAs, and the third semiconductor layer is made of InP or GaInAsP.   10. The semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein the substrate is made of GaAs, the first and second semiconductor layers are made of AlGaAs, and the third semiconductor layer is made of GaInP or GaInAsP.   The semiconductor element according to claim 8, wherein the first semiconductor layer is an active layer or an SCH layer.   The semiconductor device is a semiconductor laser device having a SAS structure, the third semiconductor layer is a current blocking layer, and a channel for injecting current into the active layer is formed in the groove. Item 13. The semiconductor element according to any one of Items 8 to 12.

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