The present invention relates to an epitaxial substrate having an epitaxial growth layer, a semiconductor device, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.
In a semiconductor device having a nitride semiconductor layer, it is often the case that a nitride semiconductor layer is formed on an inexpensive silicon-based substrate such as silicon and silicon carbide. For example, a nitride semiconductor layer that functions as a functional layer in a semiconductor device, e.g., an active layer of a light-emitting diode (LED) or a channel layer of a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) is formed on a silicon-based substrate. However, lattice constants of the silicon-based substrate and the nitride semiconductor layer are greatly different from each other. Therefore, for example, a configuration in which a buffer layer is arranged between the silicon-based substrate and the functional layer is adopted.
As an epitaxial growth layer such as a buffer layer and a functional layer, a configuration in which a plurality of heterostructures of AlxGa1-xN/AlyGa1-yN(x>y) are laminated, e.g., a configuration in which aluminum nitride (AlN) layers and gallium nitride (GaN) layers are alternately laminated is generally used. It is to be noted that an AlN initial layer thicker than the buffer layer may be further arranged between the buffer layer and the silicon-based substrate.
Since the epitaxial growth layer has a heterostructure like AlN/GaN, many cracks are apt to be made from an outer edge portion due to a difference in lattice constant or a difference in thermal expansion coefficient.
Further, in an epitaxial substrate having an epitaxial growth layer made of a nitride semiconductor arranged on a silicon-based substrate, a film thickness of the epitaxial growth layer is large at an outer edge portion, and a “crown” of the epitaxial growth layer or the silicon-based substrate is generated. Conditions such as a thickness of each layer in a semiconductor device are selected so that a warp of the silicon-based substrate and stress of the epitaxial growth layer can be optimum at a central portion that is used as the semiconductor device. Therefore, when the crown is generated, the stress produced in the epitaxial growth layer and the warp of the substrate become unbalanced, the epitaxial growth layer is affected, and cracks and the like having a hexagonal pattern are generated in the epitaxial growth layer near the outer edge portion. To avoid generation of the crown, there has been suggested, e.g., a method for chamfering the outer edge portion of the silicon-based substrate and growing the epitaxial growth layer on the silicon-based substrate (see, e.g., Patent Literature 1).
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Sho 59-227117
In general, under the existing circumstances, cracks are present in a region that is approximately several mm from an outer edge portion on an epitaxial substrate which is called “crack-free” due to generation of the crown. There is concern that the cracks are expanded in a device manufacturing process or cause delamination of an epitaxial growth layer to contaminate a manufacturing line. Therefore, a completely crack-free epitaxial substrate has been demanded.
To meet the demand, it is an object of the present invention to provide an epitaxial substrate and a semiconductor device in which generation of cracks at an outer edge portion is suppressed, and a method for manufacture such a semiconductor device.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an epitaxial substrate comprising: (a) a silicon-based substrate; and (b) an epitaxial growth layer that has a configuration in which first and second nitride semiconductor layers having different lattice constants and thermal expansion coefficients are alternately laminated, and is arranged on the silicon-based substrate so that a film thickness thereof is gradually reduced at an outer edge portion.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising: (a) a silicon-based substrate; (b) an epitaxial growth layer that has a configuration in which first and second nitride semiconductor layers having different lattice constants and different thermal expansion coefficients are alternately laminated, and is arranged on the silicon-based substrate so that a film thickness is gradually reduced at an outer edge portion thereof and a film thickness reduction rate increases toward an outer side; and (c) a functional layer which is arranged on the epitaxial growth layer and made of a nitride semiconductor.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: (a) a step of preparing an epitaxial substrate comprising a silicon-based substrate and an epitaxial growth layer that has a configuration in which first and second nitride semiconductor layers having different lattice constants and different thermal expansion coefficients are alternately laminated and is arranged on the silicon-based substrate so that a film thickness is gradually reduced at an outer edge portion; (b) a step of forming a functional layer made of a nitride semiconductor on the epitaxial growth layer; and (c) a step of performing dicing to provide each unit.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide the epitaxial substrate and the semiconductor device in which generation of cracks at the outer edge portion is suppressed, and the method for manufacturing such a semiconductor device.
First to third embodiments according to the present invention will now be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, like or similar reference signs denote like or similar parts. However, the drawings are schematic, and it should be noted that a relationship between a thickness and a planar size, a ratio of a length of each portion, and others are different from actual values. Therefore, each specific dimension should be determined while taking the following explanation into consideration. Furthermore, it is needless to say that the drawings include a relationship between dimensions and portions having different ratios.
Furthermore, the following first to third embodiments illustrate a device or a method for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention do not specify a shape, a configuration, arrangement, and others of a constituent component as the following. Embodiments according to the present invention can be modified in many ways within the scope of claims.
As shown in
Additionally, as shown in
An end portion of the epitaxial growth layer 12 has a film thickness that is gradually reduced so that a film thickness reduction rate increases toward the outer side as shown in
In the epitaxial substrate shown in
The silicon-based substrate 11 is, e.g., a silicon (Si) substrate or a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate. As shown in
In general, when an epitaxial film made of a nitride semiconductor has been grown on the silicon-based substrate, a film thickness of an epitaxial growth layer 12A increases at an outer edge portion of the silicon-based substrate 11A and a crown 13 is generated as shown in
To compare with the comparative example shown in
As described above, when the epitaxial growth layer 12 is formed so that the film thickness is gradually reduced at the outer edge portion, the crown of the epitaxial growth layer 12 is not produced at the outer edge portion of the silicon-based substrate 11. As a result, generation of the cracks in the silicon-based substrate 11 or delamination of the epitaxial growth layer 12 can be suppressed.
As described above, the film thickness of the epitaxial growth layer 12 is gradually reduced toward the outer side, and a film thickness reduction rate increases toward the outer side. For example, assuming that the film thickness of the epitaxial growth layer 12 in the central region that is 20 mm from the end of the outer edge portion is 100%, the epitaxial growth layer 12 is formed in such a manner that the film thickness is approximately 90% in a region that is 3 mm apart from the end of the outer edge portion, approximately 70% in a region that is 1 mm apart from the end of the outer edge portion, and approximately 50% in a region that is 0.5 mm apart from the end of the outer edge portion.
When the film thickness of the epitaxial growth layer 12 increases, cracks are apt to be produced in the epitaxial substrate 10. Therefore, when the film thickness of the epitaxial growth layer 12 in the central portion is, e.g., 5 μm or more, an effect of reducing generation of cracks becomes prominent by gradually decreasing the film thickness of the epitaxial growth layer 12 at the outer edge portion.
Moreover, as a diameter of the epitaxial growth layer 12 increases, the cracks are apt to be generated in the outer edge portion. Therefore, for example, when the diameter of the epitaxial substrate 10 is 125 mm or more, a crack generation suppressing effect can be enhanced by gradually reducing the film thickness of the epitaxial growth layer 12.
The epitaxial substrate 10 shown in
An optimum configuration of the epitaxial growth layer 12 as the buffer layer is a configuration that the AlN layers and the GaN layers are alternately laminated, and the epitaxial growth layer 12 is formed on the silicon-based substrate 11 set to 900° C. or a higher temperature, e.g., 1350° C.
As described above, according to the epitaxial substrate 10 of the first embodiment of the present invention, the crown can be prevented from being generated when the film thickness of the epitaxial growth layer 12 increases at the outer edge portion, and production of cracks or delamination of the epitaxial film can be suppressed. Since the epitaxial substrate 10 is a crack-free substrate in which the cracks are not produced as described above, it is possible to suppress a phenomenon (meltback etching) that the cracks are produced during the epitaxial growth and a starting material gas and the silicon-based substrate react with each other.
Additionally, since the film thickness of the epitaxial growth layer 12 is small at the outer edge portion in the epitaxial substrate 10, stress produced from the end portion due to a difference between thermal expansion coefficients of the silicon-based substrate 11 and both the first nitride semiconductor layer 121 and the second nitride semiconductor layer 122 constituting the epitaxial growth layer 12 is weak, and a warp of the epitaxial substrate 10 can be easily controlled. For example, in case of comparing with the comparative example shown in
A buffer layer 120 of the semiconductor device shown in
The carrier transit layer 21 arranged on the buffer layer 120 is formed by, e.g., epitaxially growing non-doped GaN having no impurity added thereto by the MOCVD method or the like. Non-doping means that no impurity is added intentionally.
Here, it is preferable for a ratio of a change of a thickness of the buffer layer 120 in the end portion relative to the same in the central portion to be substantially equal to a ratio of a change of the thickness of the carrier transit layer 21 in the end portion relative to the same in the central portion within ±5%, and also preferable for the thickness of each of the buffer layer 120 and the carrier transit layer 21 in the end portion to change at the same ratio. It is to be noted that the ratio of change of the carrier transit layer 21 may be higher than the ratio of change of the buffer layer 120.
The carrier supply layer 22 arranged on the carrier transit layer 21 is made of a nitride semiconductor having a higher band gap than the carrier transit layer 21 and a smaller lattice constant than the carrier transit layer 21. As the carrier supply layer 22, non-doped AlxGa1-xN can be adopted.
The carrier supply layer 22 is formed on the carrier transit layer 21 by epitaxial growth based on the MOCVD method or the like. Since the carrier supply layer 22 and the carrier transit layer 21 have different lattice constants, piezoelectric polarization occurs due to lattice distortion. This piezoelectric polarization and spontaneous polarization of a crystal in the carrier supply layer 22 cause high-density carriers in the carrier transit layer 21 near the heterojunction, and the two-dimensional carrier gas layer 23 as the current path (the channel) is formed.
As shown in
Then, as shown in
Although the example where the semiconductor device using the epitaxial substrate 10 is the HEMT has been described above, a transistor having a different configuration such as a field effect transistor (FET) may be formed by using the epitaxial substrate 10.
Further, a light-emitting device such as an LED may be manufactured by using the epitaxial substrate 10. A light-emitting device shown in
The n-type clad layer 41 is, e.g., a GaN film doped with an n-type impurity. As shown in
The p-type clad layer 43 is, e.g., an AlGaN film doped with a p-type impurity doped. A p-side electrode 430 is connected to the p-type clad layer 43, and holes are supplied to the p-side electrode 430 from a positive power supply provided outside the light-emitting device. As a result, the holes are supplied to the active layer 42 from the p-type clad layer 43.
The active layer 42 is, e.g., a non-doped InGaN film. Although
As described above, semiconductor devices having various kinds of functional layers can be realized by using the epitaxial substrate 10 shown in
In an epitaxial substrate 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
In the epitaxial substrate 10 shown in
Other points are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.
In an epitaxial substrate 10 according to a third embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
In the epitaxial substrate 10 shown in
Other points are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.
Although the present invention has been described above based on the first to third embodiments, it should not be understood that the statement and the drawings forming part of this disclosure restrict the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operation technologies will become obvious to persons skilled in the art from this disclosure.
For instance, the example using the silicon-based substrate 11 having the chamfered end portion has been described in the embodiment shown in
As described above, it is needless to say that the present invention includes various embodiments and others that are not described herein. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is determined solely by matters used to specify the invention concerning appropriate claims from the above description.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2012-033655 | Feb 2012 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2013/000800 | 2/14/2013 | WO | 00 |