Selective growth method, and semiconductor light emitting device and fabrication method thereof
In a selective growth method, growth interruption is performed at the time of selective growth of a crystal layer on a substrate. Even if the thickness distribution of the crystal layer becomes non-uniform at the time of growth of the crystal layer, the non-uniformity of the thickness distribution of the crystal layer can be corrected by inserting the growth interruption. As a result of growth interruption, an etching rate at a thick portion becomes higher than that at a thin portion, to eliminate the difference in thickness between the thick portion and the thin portion, thereby solving the problem associated with degradation of characteristics due to a variation in thickness of the crystal layer, for example, an active layer. The selective growth method is applied to fabrication of a semiconductor light emitting device including an active layer as a crystal layer formed on a crystal layer having a three-dimensional shape by selective growth.
1. A selective growth method comprising a step of:
performing growth interruption at the time of selective growth of a crystal layer over a substrate.
2. A selective growth method according to claim 1 , wherein said growth interruption is performed before and after growth of said crystal layer.
3. A selective growth method according to claim 1 , wherein said crystal layer is made from a material having a single composition, and said growth interruption is performed during growth of said crystal layer.
4. A selective growth method according to claim 1 , wherein said crystal layer has a multi-layer structure.
5. A selective growth method according to claim 4 , wherein said crystal layer has multiple quantum wells and multiple corresponding barrier layers.
6. A selective growth method according to claim 5 , wherein said growth interruption is performed between each of said multiple quantum wells and the multiple corresponding barrier layers.
7. A selective growth method according to claim 5 , wherein said growth interruption is performed during growth of each of said multiple quantum wells.
8. A selective growth method according to claim 5 , wherein said growth interruption is performed during growth of each of said multiple corresponding barrier layers.
9. A selective growth method according to claim 1 , wherein a mask having an opening is formed on said substrate, and said crystal layer is formed by selective growth over said opening.
10. A selective growth method according to claim 1 , wherein said crystal layer is made from a gallium nitride based compound semiconductor.
11. A selective growth method according to claim 1 , wherein said crystal layer is grown on an underlying layer having a three-dimensional shape.
12. A selective growth method according to claim 1 , wherein said crystal layer extends within a plane parallel to a plane tilted from a principal plane of said substrate.
13. A selective growth method according to claim 12 , wherein said tilt plane is a S-plane or a plane equivalent thereto.
14. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device including a cladding layer, a guide layer, and an active layer, which are sequentially formed by selective growth, said method comprising the step of:
performing growth interruption at the time of selective growth of said active layer.
15. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14 , wherein said growth interruption is performed before and after growth of said active layer.
16. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14 , wherein said active layer is made from a material having a single composition, and said growth interruption is performed during growth of said active layer.
17. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14 , wherein said active layer has a multi-layer structure.
18. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 17 , wherein said active layer has multiple quantum wells and multiple corresponding barrier layers.
19. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 18 , wherein said growth interruption is performed between each of said multiple quantum wells and the corresponding barrier layer.
20. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 18 , said growth interruption is performed during growth of each of said multiple quantum wells.
21. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 18 , wherein said growth interruption is performed during growth of each of said multiple corresponding barrier layers.
22. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14 , wherein a mask having an opening is formed over said substrate, and a crystal layer is formed as an underlying layer by selective growth over said opening, and said active layer is grown over said underlying layer.
23. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14 , wherein said active layer is made from a gallium nitride based compound semiconductor.
24. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14 , wherein said active layer extends within a plane parallel to a plane tilted from a principal plane of said substrate.
25. A method of fabricating a semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 24 , wherein said tilt plane is a S-plane or a plane equivalent thereto.