JP2014007178A - Method for manufacturing vertical structure light-emitting element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a vertical structure light-emitting element with less thermal damage.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a plurality of vertical structure light-emitting elements by dicing a lamination part including a light-emitting layer formed on a sapphire substrate includes: a silicon substrate preparation step of preparing a silicon substrate in which the lamination parts separated from the sapphire substrate and divided along an individual element formation region are arranged on a surface thereof; a mask arrangement step of arranging a mask so as to cover an exposed surface of each lamination part; and a light-emitting element formation step of forming a plurality of diced vertical structure light-emitting elements by dividing the silicon substrate in which each lamination part is arranged by plasma-etching the surface of the silicon substrate exposed between adjacent lamination parts.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a light emitting device, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a vertical structure light emitting device.

  In recent years, vertical type light emitting devices, so-called vertical light emitting devices, have been developed. A vertical light-emitting element has a p-type electrode and an n-type electrode arranged above and below a light-emitting layer that emits light when a current is passed, and emits light from the light-emitting layer by passing a current in the vertical direction (vertical direction) between both electrodes. It is the light emitting element made to make it. Such vertical light-emitting elements are expected to achieve higher brightness than conventional light-emitting elements. For applications that require higher brightness and higher current, such as tunnel lights and car lights. Promising.

  As a method for manufacturing a vertical light-emitting element, for example, there is a method disclosed in Patent Document 1. According to the method of Patent Document 1, a dicing process (dividing into individual pieces) for separating the substrate into dies by dividing the substrate is performed. As a general process for dividing into individual pieces, there is cutting with a blade that rotates at high speed, but there are laser dicing and stealth dicing as alternative techniques. Laser dicing is an individualization method in which a substrate is separated into dies by irradiating the surface of the substrate with a laser. Stealth dicing is a process in which a substrate is irradiated with a laser to form a modified layer at an arbitrary position, and external stress is applied with tape expand etc. to grow cracks on the substrate surface and separate into dies. It is a tidy method.

JP 2010-518433 A

  However, according to laser dicing and stealth dicing, the heat of the laser is transmitted to GaN (gallium nitride) and the substrate constituting the electrode, and thus the electrode and the substrate are deteriorated due to thermal damage. As described above, when the electrodes and the substrate constituting the light emitting element are deteriorated, the quality of the light emitting element is lowered, and as a result, the luminance of the light emitting element is lowered.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and to provide a method for manufacturing a vertical structure light emitting device with less thermal damage by using plasma etching in the step of dividing the light emitting device. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a plurality of vertical structure light emitting devices by separating a stacked portion including a light emitting layer formed on a sapphire substrate,
A silicon substrate preparation step of preparing a silicon substrate separated from the sapphire substrate and divided on each element formation region and having a laminated portion disposed on the surface;
A mask placement step of placing a mask so as to cover the exposed surface of each stacked portion;
Plasma etching is performed on the surface of the silicon substrate exposed between adjacent laminated parts, and then the silicon substrate on which each laminated part is arranged is divided into a plurality of individual vertical structures There is provided a method for manufacturing a vertical light emitting element, including a light emitting element forming step of forming a light emitting element.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the silicon substrate preparation step includes:
Laminating part singulation process for dividing the laminated part formed on the sapphire substrate along each element forming region by plasma etching, and a laminated part for arranging the laminated part on the divided sapphire substrate on the silicon substrate The manufacturing method of the vertical light emitting element as described in a 1st aspect is provided including the part arrangement | positioning process and the isolation | separation process which isolate | separates a laminated part and a silicon substrate from a sapphire substrate.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the silicon substrate preparation step includes:
A stacking portion placement step for placing the stacking portion formed on the sapphire substrate on the silicon substrate; a separation step for separating the stacking portion and the silicon substrate from the sapphire substrate; and plasma etching to form the stacking portion on the silicon substrate. A method for manufacturing a vertical light-emitting element according to the first aspect is provided, which includes a laminated part singulation step that is divided along individual element formation regions.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the light emitting element forming step, the step of digging the surface of the silicon substrate along the individual element forming regions by the plasma etching process and the side opposite to the stacked portion arrangement side on the silicon substrate are performed. The vertical light emitting device according to any one of the first to third embodiments, comprising: a step of grinding the silicon substrate on the surface to divide the silicon substrate along each element formation region. A manufacturing method is provided.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the light emitting element forming step, the silicon substrate is divided along the individual element formation regions by removing the silicon substrate by plasma etching. A method for manufacturing the vertical light-emitting device according to any one of the above is provided.

  By using plasma etching in the individualization step of the light emitting element, a manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element with less thermal damage can be provided.

Sectional drawing of the 1st board | substrate handled with the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Embodiment 1 of this invention Sectional drawing of the 2nd board | substrate handled with the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Embodiment 1 of this invention Flowchart of the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting device of the first embodiment Sectional drawing of the 1st board | substrate which shows the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Embodiment 1. FIG. Sectional drawing of the 2nd board | substrate which shows the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Embodiment 1. FIG. Sectional drawing of the 2nd board | substrate which shows the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Embodiment 1. FIG. Sectional drawing of the 2nd board | substrate which shows the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Embodiment 1. FIG. Flowchart of the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element according to the modification of the first embodiment. Sectional drawing of the 1st board | substrate and 2nd board | substrate which show the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element concerning the modification of Embodiment 1 Sectional drawing of the 2nd board | substrate which shows the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element concerning the modification of Embodiment 1. FIG. Sectional drawing of the 2nd board | substrate which shows the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element concerning the modification of Embodiment 1. FIG. The flowchart of the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Embodiment 2 of this invention Sectional drawing of the 1st board | substrate and 2nd board | substrate which shows the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Embodiment 2. FIG. Sectional drawing of the 2nd board | substrate which shows the procedure of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Embodiment 2. FIG.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view (part) of the first substrate 1 in FIG. 1 regarding the configuration of the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 8 handled by the method for manufacturing a vertical structure light emitting element according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2 and a cross-sectional view (part) of the second substrate 8 in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first substrate 1 includes a sapphire substrate 2 and a stacked portion 3 disposed on the sapphire substrate 2. In the following description, the surface on the laminated portion 3 side of the first substrate 1 on the upper surface side in the drawing is the front surface 1A, and the lower surface side in the drawing is the back surface 1B.

The sapphire substrate 2 is a substrate formed of aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ), and is configured in a plate shape having a thickness of 0.4 mm to 1.3 mm in the first embodiment.

  The stacked unit 3 includes a p layer 4, a light emitting layer 5, an n layer 6, and a buffer layer 7 in order from the top. The laminated portion 3 is disposed so as to be in contact with the upper surface of the sapphire substrate 2 in the buffer layer 7 disposed in the lowermost layer (see FIG. 1). In the first embodiment, the thickness of the laminated portion 3 is 5 μm to 10 μm.

  The p layer 4 and the n layer 6 are both layers formed of GaN (gallium nitride), and each function as a p-type electrode and an n-type electrode of the vertical structure light emitting element. As shown in FIG. 1, the p layer 4 disposed in the uppermost layer of the stacked unit 3 is disposed over the entire surface 1 </ b> A of the first substrate 1.

  The light emitting layer 5 is disposed between the p layer 4 and the n layer 6 and is an active layer that emits light when a current flows. When a current flows between the p layer 4 and the n layer 6, a current also flows through the light emitting layer 5 disposed therebetween, and the light emitting layer 5 emits light.

  FIG. 2 shows a second substrate 8 that is produced based on the first substrate 1 of FIG. 1 by using a method for manufacturing a vertical structure light emitting element described later. The second substrate 8 includes a silicon substrate 9, a metal layer 10, and a stacked portion 13. In the following description, the surface on the laminated portion 13 side of the second substrate 8 on the upper surface side in the drawing is the front surface 8A, and the lower surface side in the drawing is the back surface 8B.

  The silicon substrate 9 has a plate shape and is a substrate (Si substrate) formed of silicon (Si), and a boron-doped P-type silicon substrate is used.

  The metal layer 10 is a plate-like layer disposed on the silicon substrate 9 and is made of metal. In addition, the name “silicon substrate” in the present specification may be used not only as a name of a silicon substrate alone but also as a name of a silicon substrate including a metal layer.

  The laminated portion 13 is configured such that the laminated portion 3 shown in FIG. 1 is separated from the sapphire substrate 2 and arranged on the metal layer 10 (and the silicon substrate 9) in the upside down direction. The stacked portion 13 includes a buffer layer 7, an n layer 6, a light emitting layer 5, and a p layer 4 in order from the top, and the p layer 4 in the lowest layer (see FIG. 2) has an upper surface on the metal layer 10. Has been placed. Moreover, the lamination | stacking part 13 is arrange | positioned in the state separated into pieces. In addition, the method of isolate | separating the lamination | stacking part 13 from the sapphire substrate 2, and the method of separating into pieces are demonstrated in description of the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element mentioned later.

  Next, a specific procedure of the method for manufacturing the vertical structure light emitting element according to the first embodiment will be described. In this description, FIG. 3 shows a flowchart showing a procedure of a method for manufacturing a vertical structure light emitting element, and cross sections of the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 8 for explaining the respective procedures shown in the flowchart of FIG. Figures (parts) are shown in FIGS.

(Sapphire substrate preparation process)
First, in step S1 of the flowchart of FIG. 3, the first substrate 1 having the sapphire substrate 2 is prepared so as to perform the singulation process. As shown in FIG. 4A, the first substrate 1 includes a sapphire substrate 2 and a stacked portion 3 formed on the sapphire substrate 2 and including the light emitting layer 5.

(First mask placement step)
Next, a mask is disposed on the surface 1A side of the first substrate 1 (step S2). Specifically, after applying a resist 11 which is a photosensitive organic material to the surface 1A of the first substrate 1 by photolithography, the resist 11 is baked into a desired pattern using an exposure apparatus. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4B, the resist 11 is arranged as a mask at a predetermined position on the surface 1A (on the p layer 4) of the first substrate 1. The resist 11 is disposed so as to correspond to the element formation region 17.

(First Plasma Etching Step (Laminate Part Separation Step))
Next, plasma etching is performed on the first substrate 1 on which the resist 11 is formed from the surface 1A side (step S3). Specifically, the etching process is performed on the stacked portion 3 that is partially protected by the resist 11 by generating plasma by switching the pressure conditions and gas conditions in the apparatus. In this laminated part singulation process, for example, an etching process is performed using a mixed gas containing chlorine as a main component, such as a mixed gas of Cl ₂ and Ar, and the laminated part 3 using the resist 11 on the surface of the laminated part 3 as a mask. The etching process is performed. As shown in FIG. 4C, the plasma is obtained until the stacked portion 3 is partially dug down along the individual element formation regions 17 by the plasma and is divided into individual pieces (individualized state). Continue processing. When the singulation of the stacked portion 3 is finished, the generation of plasma is stopped and the plasma etching is finished. When the layered portion 3 is separated into individual pieces using a laser or stealth, there is a high possibility that the first substrate 1 is thermally damaged. However, in the first plasma etching process of the first embodiment, since the stacked portion 3 is singulated using plasma etching, the singulation is performed while reducing thermal damage to the first substrate 1. be able to. Note that not only the laminated portion 3 but also the resist 11 is etched to some extent by plasma.

(First mask removal step)
Next, the mask (resist 11) remaining on each laminated part 3 separated into pieces is removed (step S4). Specifically, by using a predetermined removing liquid that reacts with the resist 11 and immersing the first substrate 1 in the removing liquid, the resist 11 is removed from the first substrate 1 as shown in FIG. Remove and peel. By removing the resist 11, the p layer 4 arranged as a layer immediately below the resist 11 is exposed on the surface 1 </ b> A of the first substrate 1.

(Placement process on silicon substrate)
Next, the laminated portion 3 from which the resist 11 has been peeled is disposed on the silicon substrate 9 (step S5). Specifically, first, a silicon substrate 9 on which a metal layer 10 is formed is prepared. With respect to the metal layer 10 on the silicon substrate 9, the first substrate 1 is disposed in a state of being reversed in the vertical direction. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5E, the first substrate 1 is disposed on the metal layer 10 (and the silicon substrate 9) so as to be in contact with the p layer 4 exposed on the surface 1A. .

(Sapphire substrate separation process)
Next, the sapphire substrate 2 in which the first substrate 1 is turned upside down in the step S5 and arranged on the uppermost side in the drawing is separated (lifted off) from the stacked portion 3 and the silicon substrate 9 (step S5). S6). Specifically, separation is performed by melting the bonding surface of the buffer layer 7 to be bonded to the sapphire substrate 2 using laser lift-off using an excimer laser or the like. When the bonding surface of the buffer layer 7 is melted, as shown in FIG. 5F, the silicon substrate 9 and the silicon substrate 9 (and the metal layer 10) are divided along the individual element formation regions 17 as shown in FIG. The second substrate 8 including the stacked portions 13 arranged in the above manner is formed. The laminated portion 13 of the second substrate 8 is arranged such that the laminated portion 3 of the first substrate 1 is turned upside down (that is, the surface 1A of the laminated portion 3 faces the silicon substrate 9 side). The buffer layer 7 of the stacked portion 13 is exposed on the surface 8A of the second substrate 8.

  As described above, by performing steps S2 to S6, the second substrate 8 including the silicon substrate 9 and the plurality of laminated portions 13 separated into pieces is formed. These series of steps are referred to as a silicon substrate preparation step (first singulation step).

(Buffer layer removal process)
Next, removal of the buffer layer 7 of the laminated part 13 arrange | positioned at the surface 8A side is performed (step S7). Specifically, the buffer layer 7 is removed from the second substrate 8 by dry etching or wet etching. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5G, the n layer 6 formed as a layer immediately below the buffer layer 7 is exposed on the surface 8A of the second substrate 8.

(Second mask placement step)
Next, a mask is arranged on the surface 8A side of the second substrate 8 (step S8). The specific mask arrangement method in step S8 is basically the same as that in step S2 (first mask arrangement step), and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. However, unlike step S2, in this step S8, as shown in FIG. 6H, a plurality of masks (resist 12) are arranged so as to cover the individual laminated portions 13, and the resist 12 The metal layer 10 is exposed from between. The arrangement position of the resist 12 is set so as to cover all of the side surfaces and the upper surface of the stacked portion 13 so that the exposed surface of the stacked portion 13 is eliminated.

(Second plasma etching process (drilling process of silicon substrate))
Next, a plasma etching process is performed on the second substrate 8 on which the resist 12 is formed so as to cover each stacked portion 13 from the surface 8A side (step S9). Specifically, the etching apparatus generates plasma by switching the pressure conditions and gas conditions in the apparatus, thereby exposing the metal layer 10 exposed between the resists 12 and the silicon substrate 9 disposed therebelow. An etching process is performed on. By such an etching process for the silicon substrate 9, grooves 18 are formed along the individual element formation regions 17 in the silicon substrate 9.

Of the singulation process of the second substrate 8, the etching of the silicon substrate 9 uses a mixed gas mainly composed of a fluorine-based gas such as SF ₆ , whereas the etching of the metal layer 10 is used. The etching gas is appropriately selected depending on the metal material. For example, when the metal layer 10 is formed of a nonvolatile material such as Au, a mixed gas of Cl ₂ and Ar is used. Au can be removed by sputtering due to collision of Ar in the mixed gas. When the metal layer 10 is formed of a material that can be removed by reactive etching, a mixed gas containing a component that reacts with the metal material being used and gasifies is used. When the metal layer 10 is made of, for example, Al, a mixed gas of Cl ₂ and BCl ₃ is used.

While the etching is in progress, a reaction product is generated and may adhere to the side wall of the resist 12 or the side wall of the groove 18 formed by etching. By using a mixed gas containing Cl ₂ , the reaction product is generated. This has the effect of removing the object and smoothing the etched surface.

In the etching process in step S9, the metal layer 10 and the silicon substrate 9 are etched using the resist 12 on the surface of the laminated portion 13 as a mask. At this time, the resist 12 is also gradually etched and retracted. Accordingly, since the groove 18 is increased in depth by etching, the resist 12 is also retracted at the same time, so that the side wall of the groove 18 becomes an inclined surface. As shown in FIG. 6I, when the silicon substrate 9 is dug down to a desired depth along each element formation region 17 by plasma, the generation of plasma is stopped and the plasma etching is terminated.

  In the second plasma etching step, plasma etching is performed in a state where the laminated portion 13 is covered with the resist 12, so that plasma etching can be performed while protecting the laminated portion 13. Further, since the silicon substrate 9 is dug down (in the process of separating light emitting elements) by plasma etching instead of laser or stealth, thermal damage to the second substrate 8 can be reduced.

(Second mask removal step)
Next, the mask (resist 12) remaining on each laminated part 13 and the metal layer 10 separated into pieces is removed (step S10). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6 (J), by immersing the second substrate 8 in this removing liquid using a predetermined removing liquid as in step S4 (first resist removing step), The resist 12 is removed and peeled from the second substrate 8. By peeling off the resist 12, the laminated portion 13 divided and separated along the individual light emitting element regions 17 is exposed on the surface 8 </ b> A of the second substrate 8.

(BG tape application process)
Next, a BG tape 14 (back grind tape 14), which is a protective tape, is attached to the surface 8A of the second substrate 8 (step S11). As shown in FIG. 7 (K), the second substrate 8 is turned upside down, and the stacked portion 13 and the metal layer 10 on the surface 8A of the second substrate 8 are protected by the BG tape 14. It is assumed that

(Back grinding process (light emitting element singulation process))
Next, as shown in FIG. 7L, a grinding process is performed on the back surface 8B of the second substrate 8 (step S12). This grinding process is a process of thinning the silicon substrate 9, and until there is no part (common part) connected in common to the plurality of laminated parts 13 separated in the silicon substrate 9, That is, the processing is performed until the bottom surface of the groove 18 of the silicon substrate 9 disappears. By such a grinding process, the silicon substrate 9 is divided along each element formation region 17, and as a result, a plurality of vertical structure light emitting elements 15 separated into individual pieces are manufactured. In this grinding process, the surface 15A side (laminated portion 13 and metal layer 10) of the vertical structure light emitting element 15 is protected by the attached BG tape 14.

  As described above, by performing steps S8 to S12, the silicon substrate 9 is divided along the individual element formation regions 17, and the vertical structure light-emitting elements 15 separated into individual pieces are manufactured. A series of these steps for forming the separated vertical structure light emitting element 15 is referred to as a light emitting element forming process (second individualizing process).

(Transfer process)
Next, the vertical structure light emitting element 15 is transferred to the adhesive tape (step S13). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7M, the back surface 15B of the vertical structure light emitting element 15 is attached to the adhesive tape 16, and the BG tape 14 attached to the front surface 15A is removed. Thereby, it will be in the state by which the some vertical structure light emitting element 15 separated into pieces on the adhesive tape 16 was affixed. The vertical structure light emitting elements 15 attached to the adhesive tape 16 are individually picked up and used thereafter. As the adhesive tape, a dicing tape for fixing a semiconductor wafer can be used.

  As in the first embodiment, after the trench 18 formed in the silicon substrate 9 is deeply processed by the plasma etching process, the second substrate 8 is ground to obtain each vertical structure light emitting element. The method of dividing into 15 is called DBG (Dicing Before Grinding).

  According to the first embodiment, in the first plasma etching step of the silicon substrate preparation step (first singulation step), plasma etching is used instead of laser or stealth in order to divide the laminated portion 3 into pieces. Therefore, it is possible to carry out an individualization process with little thermal damage to the first substrate 1.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, in the light emitting element forming step (second singulation step), the surface of the silicon substrate 9 is subjected to plasma etching, and then the silicon substrate 9 is divided into individual pieces. Since the vertical structure light emitting element 15 thus formed is formed, it is possible to carry out a singulation process with little thermal damage to the second substrate 8.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, since the plasma etching is used in the singulation process for manufacturing the vertical structure light emitting element 15, the manufacture of the vertical structure light emitting element 15 with less thermal damage to the substrate. A method can be realized.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, in the second plasma etching step, the plasma is etched while suppressing damage to the multilayer part 13 because the multilayer part 13 is covered and protected by the resist 12 when performing plasma etching. Etching can be performed, and a high-quality vertical structure light emitting element 15 can be manufactured.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, in the second plasma etching step, the common part of the silicon substrate 9 with the plurality of stacked portions 13 is left so that the second substrate 8 is not completely divided. The silicon substrate 9 is dug down. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the vertical structure light emitting element 15 from being erroneously removed by the removal liquid of the resist 12 in the subsequent second mask removing process (step S11).

  In the first embodiment, the case where the metal layer 10 is patterned by plasma etching the metal layer 10 together with the silicon substrate 9 in the second plasma etching step has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. Instead, for example, the metal layer 10 may be patterned before plasma etching, so that only the silicon substrate 9 may be plasma etched without plasma etching the metal layer 10 in the second plasma etching step.

(Modification of Embodiment 1)
In the first embodiment, the second substrate 8 is etched using plasma from the surface 8A side, and the silicon substrate 9 is dug down to a desired depth by plasma (step S9). In the above description, the grinding process is performed on the back surface 8B of the substrate 8 (step S12), and the individual vertical structure light emitting element 15 is manufactured. However, a process other than the grinding process is applied. Also good.

  About the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element concerning the modification which applied processes other than a grinding process, FIG.8 and FIG.9 (A)-(C), FIG.10 (D)-(F), and FIG. ) And (H). FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a method for manufacturing a vertical structure light emitting element according to this modification, and FIGS. 9 to 11 are first substrates for explaining the respective procedures shown in the flowchart of FIG. And FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a second substrate. Note that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those used in Embodiment 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In this modification, as shown in FIG. 8, by performing the same processes as those in the first embodiment from step S1 to step S4, the sapphire substrate 2 and the laminated layer arranged on the sapphire substrate 2 and separated into pieces. A first substrate 1 including the unit 3 is created. Detailed description of these steps will be omitted. FIG. 9A shows the first substrate 1 in a state where step S4 is completed.

(Placement process on silicon substrate)
After step S4, the stacked portion 3 of the first substrate 1 is placed on the silicon substrate 20 (step S14). Specifically, first, a silicon substrate 20 on which the metal layer 10 is formed is prepared. In this modification, a silicon substrate 20 having a thickness smaller than that of the silicon substrate 9 of the first embodiment is prepared. The silicon substrate 20 is the same material as the silicon substrate 9 of the first embodiment, but the thickness is 50 μm to 200 μm, which is thinner than that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9B, the first substrate 1 is disposed with the metal layer 10 on the silicon substrate 20 turned upside down.

(Sapphire substrate lift-off process)
Next, the sapphire substrate 2 that has been placed on the uppermost side in the drawing by performing step S14 is separated from the stacked unit 3 and the silicon substrate 20 (step S15). Since the specific method is the same as that in step S6 of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. When step S15 is completed, as shown in FIG. 9C, the second substrate 21 including the silicon substrate 20 and the stacked portion 13 arranged separately on the silicon substrate 20 (and the metal layer 10) is formed. It is formed.

  By performing the above-described steps S1 to S4, S14, and S15, the stacked portion 13 is separated into pieces (silicon substrate preparation step (first individualization step)).

(DC tape application process)
Next, the DC tape 22 (dicing tape 22) is attached to the back surface 21B of the second substrate 21 (step S16). The DC tape 22 is a tape for holding and fixing the second substrate 21 and the vertical structure light emitting element separated by etching when the second substrate 21 is separated. The DC tape 22 is preferably one having resistance to an etching solution for resist removal. FIG. 10D shows a state where the DC tape 22 is attached to the back surface 21 </ b> B of the second substrate 21.

(Buffer layer removal step and second mask placement step)
Next, removal of the buffer layer 7 of the laminated part 13 arrange | positioned at the surface 21A side is performed (step S17). Next, on the surface 21A side of the second substrate 21, a second mask (resist 12) is disposed on the stacked portion 13 from which the buffer layer 7 has been removed (step S18). Since step S17 and step S18 are the same as step S7 and step S8 of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted. Further, the second substrate 21 after step S17 and after step S18 is shown in FIGS. 10E and 10F, respectively.

(Second plasma etching process)
Next, a plasma etching process is performed from the surface 21A side on the second substrate 21 on which the resist 12 is formed so as to cover each stacked portion 13 on the surface 21A side (step S19). Specifically, as in the first embodiment, the resist 12 on the surface of the stacked portion 13 is exposed to the metal layer 10 and the silicon substrate 20 exposed between the resists 12 by generating plasma with an etching apparatus. Etching is performed using as a mask.

  Here, in the second plasma etching step (step S9) of the first embodiment, the generation of plasma is stopped when the silicon substrate 9 is dug down to a desired depth without completely dividing the second substrate 8. In this modification, as shown in FIG. 11G, the plasma etching is continued until the silicon substrate 20 is divided. The silicon substrate 20 is divided along the individual element formation regions 17 by plasma etching, whereby a plurality of individual vertical structure light emitting elements 23 are manufactured.

(Second mask removal step)
Next, the mask (resist 12) remaining on the laminated portion 13 and the metal layer 10 is removed (step S20). Since this step S20 is the same as step S10 of the first embodiment, description of a specific method is omitted. FIG. 11H shows the vertical structure light-emitting element 23 after step S20.

  By performing steps S18 to S20 described above, the vertical structure light emitting element 23 that has been separated into individual pieces is manufactured (second individualization step). Further, in this modification, the transfer process (step S13) is not performed as in the first embodiment, and the manufacturing process of the vertical structure light emitting element 15 is completed in step S20.

  As described above, even when the method according to the present modification is used, since the plasma etching is used in the singulation process for manufacturing the vertical structure light emitting device 23, the manufacture of the vertical structure light emitting device 23 with less thermal damage is performed. A method can be realized. Furthermore, according to this modification, since the silicon substrate 20 is divided by removing the silicon substrate 20 by plasma etching, the BG tape is applied (step S11) or the back surface grinding (step) as in the first embodiment. Individualization into the vertical structure light emitting element 23 can be performed without performing S12), and the manufacturing process of the vertical structure light emitting element 23 can be simplified. Furthermore, by using the thin silicon substrate 20 in step S14 in advance, the etching amount of the silicon substrate 20 in the subsequent light emitting element forming step can be reduced. Further, in this modification, the second substrate 21 before separation is affixed to the DC tape 22, so that compared with the case where transfer is performed from the BG tape to the adhesive tape 16 after separation as in the first embodiment. Thus, handling of the tape becomes easy.

(Embodiment 2)
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Embodiment 1, It can implement in another various aspect. For example, the manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention is demonstrated. In the first embodiment, the stacked portion is separated on the sapphire substrate 2, whereas in the second embodiment, the stacked portion is separated on the silicon substrate 9. The manufacturing method of the light emitting element is adopted. Hereinafter, this difference will be mainly described. Note that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those used in Embodiment 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the method for manufacturing the vertical structure light emitting element of the second embodiment, and FIGS. 13 and 14 are cross-sectional views of the first substrate and the second substrate for explaining each procedure. Shown in

(Placement process on silicon substrate)
First, as shown in FIG. 13A, the first substrate 1 having the sapphire substrate 2 is prepared in step S31 (step S31), and then the laminated portion 3 of the first substrate 1 is placed on the silicon substrate 9. (Step S32). Specifically, after preparing the silicon substrate 9 having the metal layer 10 formed on the upper surface, the first substrate 1 is turned upside down with respect to the metal layer 10 on the silicon substrate 9. Deploy. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 13B, the first substrate 1 is arranged on the metal layer 10 so as to be in contact with the p layer 4 exposed on the surface 1A.

(Sapphire substrate separation process)
Next, the sapphire substrate 2 disposed on the uppermost side in the drawing is separated from the stacked portion 3 and the silicon substrate 9 (step S33). The separation method is the same as the separation step (step S6) of the first embodiment, and thus the description is omitted. By performing step S33, as shown in FIG. 13C, the second substrate 30 including the silicon substrate 9 and the stacked portion 13 disposed on the silicon substrate 9 (and the metal layer 10) is formed. The

(First mask placement step)
Next, on the surface 30A side of the second substrate 30, photolithography is performed to form a mask (resist 11) (step S34). Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 14D, the resist 11 is disposed at a predetermined position on the surface 30 </ b> A of the second substrate 30.

(First Plasma Etching Step (Laminate Part Separation Step))
Next, a plasma etching process is performed on the second substrate 30 on which the resist 11 is formed from the surface 30A side (step S35). Specifically, the etching process is performed by generating plasma with an etching apparatus, whereby the etching process of the stacked portion 13 is performed using the resist 11 as a mask. As shown in FIG. 14E, the plasma processing is continued until the stacked portion 13 is dug down by plasma and is separated into pieces so as to partially expose the metal layer 10. Note that the etching at this time is the same as the etching of the stacked portion 3 in the first plasma etching step (step S3) of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. When the singulation of the laminated portion 13 is finished, the generation of plasma is stopped and the plasma etching is finished. By performing step S <b> 35, the second substrate 30 becomes the second substrate 30 including the silicon substrate 9 and the stacked unit 13 that is divided and disposed on the silicon substrate 9.

(First mask removal step)
Next, the mask (resist 11) remaining on each layered part 13 separated into pieces is removed (step S36). Specifically, the resist 11 is removed and peeled from the second substrate 30 by immersing the second substrate 30 in a predetermined removal solution as shown in FIG.

  By performing the first singulation process in the order of steps S31 to S36 described above, the second substrate 30 including the plurality of laminated parts 13 that have been singulated is created.

(Buffer layer removal process)
Next, the buffer layer 7 in the stacked portion 13 disposed on the surface 30A side is removed (step S37). The subsequent steps including step S37 are the same as steps S7 to S13 of the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. This step S37 is the same as the buffer layer removing step (step S7) of the first embodiment. By performing this step S37, the surface 30A of the second substrate 30 is formed as a layer immediately below the buffer layer 7. The formed n layer 6 is exposed.

(Second mask placement step)
Next, a mask (resist 12) is disposed on the surface 30A side of the second substrate 30 (step S38). The specific method is the same as that of the second mask arrangement step (step S8) of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted. By performing step S <b> 38, a plurality of resists 12 are disposed so as to cover the individual laminated portions 13, and the metal layer 10 is exposed from between the resists 12.

(Second plasma etching process (drilling process of silicon substrate))
Next, a plasma etching process is performed on the second substrate 30 on which the resist 12 is formed so as to cover each stacked portion 13 from the surface 30A side (step S39). The specific method is the same as that of the second plasma etching step (step S9) of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted. In this step S39, when the silicon substrate 9 is dug down to a desired depth along each element formation region 17 by plasma, the generation of plasma is stopped and the plasma etching is terminated.

(Second mask removal step)
Next, the mask (resist 12) remaining on each layered part 13 and the metal layer 10 separated into pieces is removed (step S40). The specific method is the same as that of the second mask removing process (step S10) of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. By performing step S <b> 40, the laminated portion 13 that is divided and separated along the individual light emitting element regions 17 is exposed on the surface 30 </ b> A of the second substrate 30.

(BG tape application process)
Next, the BG tape 14, which is a protective tape, is attached to the surface 30A of the second substrate 30 (step S41). Since the specific method is the same as that of the BG tape sticking process (step S11) of Embodiment 1, description is abbreviate | omitted. By performing step S41, the respective stacked portions 13 and the metal layer 10 on the surface 30A of the second substrate 30 are protected by the BG tape 14.

(Back grinding process)
Next, a grinding process is performed on the back surface 30B of the second substrate 30 (step S42). Since the specific method is the same as that of the back surface grinding step (step S12) of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. By performing step S42, the silicon substrate 9 is divided along each element formation region 17, and a plurality of vertical structure light emitting elements 15 separated into individual pieces are manufactured.

(Transfer process)
Next, the vertical structure light emitting element 15 is transferred to an adhesive tape (step S43). Since the specific method is the same as that in the transfer step (step S13) of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. By performing step S <b> 43, a plurality of separated vertical structure light emitting elements 15 are stuck on the adhesive tape 16.

  According to the second embodiment, plasma etching is used in the singulation process for manufacturing the vertical structure light emitting element even when the lamination part 3 is singulated on the silicon substrate 9. In addition, it is possible to realize a method for manufacturing a vertical structure light emitting element with little heat damage.

  It is to be noted that, by appropriately combining any of the above-described various embodiments, the effects possessed by them can be produced.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful for a method for manufacturing a plurality of vertical structure light emitting elements that are separated by dividing a silicon substrate on which a laminated portion including a light emitting layer is formed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st board | substrate 2 Sapphire board | substrate 3 Laminated | stacking part 4 p layer 5 active layer 6 n layer 7 buffer layer 8 2nd board | substrate 9 silicon substrate 10 metal layer 11 resist 12 resist 13 laminated part 14 BG tape 15 vertical structure light emitting element 16 Ring frame 17 Element formation region 18 Groove 20 Silicon substrate 21 Second substrate 22 DC tape 23 Vertical structure light emitting element 30 Second substrate

Claims (5)

A method of manufacturing a plurality of vertical structure light emitting devices by separating a stacked portion including a light emitting layer formed on a sapphire substrate,
A silicon substrate preparation step of preparing a silicon substrate separated from the sapphire substrate and divided on each element formation region and having a laminated portion disposed on the surface;
A mask placement step of placing a mask so as to cover the exposed surface of each stacked portion;
Plasma etching is performed on the surface of the silicon substrate exposed between adjacent laminated parts, and then the silicon substrate on which each laminated part is arranged is divided into a plurality of individual vertical structures The manufacturing method of a vertical structure light emitting element including the light emitting element formation process which forms a light emitting element. The silicon substrate preparation process
Laminating part singulation process for dividing the laminated part formed on the sapphire substrate along each element forming region by plasma etching, and a laminated part for arranging the laminated part on the divided sapphire substrate on the silicon substrate The manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Claim 1 including a part arrangement | positioning process and the isolation | separation process which isolate | separates a laminated part and a silicon substrate from a sapphire substrate. The silicon substrate preparation process
A stacking portion placement step for placing the stacking portion formed on the sapphire substrate on the silicon substrate; a separation step for separating the stacking portion and the silicon substrate from the sapphire substrate; and plasma etching to form the stacking portion on the silicon substrate. The manufacturing method of the vertical structure light emitting element of Claim 1 including the lamination | stacking part individualization process divided | segmented along each element formation area.   In the light emitting element forming process, a process of digging down the surface of the silicon substrate along each element forming region by plasma etching and grinding the silicon substrate on the surface opposite to the stacked portion arrangement side on the silicon substrate. The method of manufacturing a vertical structure light emitting element according to claim 1, further comprising a step of dividing the silicon substrate along each element formation region.   The vertical structure light emitting element according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the light emitting element forming step, the silicon substrate is divided along each element forming region by removing the silicon substrate by plasma etching. Manufacturing method.

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