JP2008140871A - Group iii-v semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent cracks on the end face of a semiconductor device that may occur when removing a substrate in a laser lift-off process. <P>SOLUTION: In a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device, a light-emitting element 12, which forms a p electrode 13 and a low-melt-point metal diffusion prevention layer 14 on the upper surface and comprises a plurality of group III nitride semiconductors, is formed on a sapphire substrate 10. A resist film 15 is formed on the sapphire substrate 10 on which no light-emitting elements 12 are formed, and an end face protective film 16 made of SiO<SB>2</SB>is formed on the end face and upper surface of the light-emitting element 12 (Fig.1D). A low-melt-point metal layer 18 is formed on the upper surface of the low-melt-point metal diffusion prevention layer 14 and the end face protective film 16 for joining to a support substrate 19 via the low-melt-point metal layer 18. After that, the sapphire substrate 10 is separated for removal by laser lift-off to remove the resist film 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  In the present invention, an n layer and a p layer made of a group III-V semiconductor are grown on a growth substrate, and an electrode layer on the p layer is bonded to a support substrate using solder, and then the growth substrate is formed by laser lift-off. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor element by removing the semiconductor element and the semiconductor element. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for protecting against an electrical short circuit on the side surfaces of a p layer and an n layer and a crack that may occur on an end face of a semiconductor element at the time of laser lift-off, and the semiconductor element structure.

  As a substrate for growing group III nitride semiconductors, a sapphire substrate that is chemically and thermally stable is generally used, but sapphire is not conductive and cannot pass current in the vertical direction. . Also, sapphire has no clear cleavage plane and is difficult to dice. In addition, sapphire has a low thermal conductivity and inhibits heat dissipation of the semiconductor element. Furthermore, there are total reflection at the bonding surface between the semiconductor layer and the sapphire substrate and light confinement at the semiconductor layer, and the external quantum efficiency is low. In order to improve the light extraction efficiency, it is conceivable to make the light extraction surface uneven, but sapphire is not easy to process.

  As a technique for solving this problem, a laser lift-off method is known. In this method, the sapphire substrate is separated and removed by laser irradiation.

  In Patent Document 1, after forming a group III nitride semiconductor element on a sapphire substrate, a groove is formed by etching to separate each element, and the group III nitride semiconductor element grown on the sapphire substrate is supported. A method of performing laser lift-off after bonding to a substrate is shown. The gas remaining inside the groove was thermally expanded by the laser and the group III nitride semiconductor element was cracked, but Patent Document 1 excludes the gas by filling the inside of the groove with a dielectric, There is a description that the occurrence of cracks due to this can be prevented.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, after filling a groove with a photoresist and joining a group III nitride semiconductor device and a support substrate, a metal layer is formed on top of the group III nitride semiconductor device, A method of performing laser lift-off is shown. It is described that the photoresist formed in the groove is for preventing metal from entering the groove when the metal layer is formed.

In Patent Document 3, a protective film such as SiO ₂ or Al ₂ O ₃ and a seed metal film are formed on the inclined end face of the semiconductor element, a metal layer is formed on the groove and the semiconductor element, and then laser lift-off is performed. How to do is shown.
JP-A-2005-333130 Special table 2005-522873 JP 2006-135321 A

  In the laser lift-off process, when the sapphire substrate is separated, a physical impact may be applied to the end face of the group III nitride semiconductor device, and the end face may be broken off. However, Patent Documents 1 to 3 do not disclose a method for preventing cracking of the end face of the semiconductor element caused by this physical impact.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, since the growth substrate and the protective film are firmly bonded, the protective film peels off when the sapphire substrate is separated, and a crack is generated in the semiconductor element. Another problem is that the metal layer formed on the semiconductor element must be cut during dicing. In addition, Patent Documents 2 and 3 are not based on bonding and bonding with a support substrate.

  In the case of bonding with a support substrate, there are the following problems. Because of the necessity of p-type activation, an n layer is first formed on the growth substrate, and then a p layer is formed. The n layer can be thick, but the p layer is thin and difficult to thicken. Therefore, in the structure in which the p layer and the support substrate are joined by solder, the distance between the support substrate and the n layer is short. Therefore, solder or metal adheres to the side surface of the semiconductor element during dicing or wafer bonding, and the p layer and the n layer are short-circuited.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to separate a semiconductor layer in which an n layer is first formed on a substrate and then a p layer is separated into each semiconductor element, and is bonded to a support substrate via solder, and then laser When removing the substrate using lift-off, it is possible to prevent a short circuit between the n-layer and the p-layer at the end face of the semiconductor element, and the end face of the semiconductor element that may be caused by a physical impact in separating the substrate. It is to prevent cracking.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device composed of a III-V semiconductor, wherein an n-conducting n-layer is provided on a substrate and a p-conducting p-layer is provided on the side closer to the substrate. And forming a plurality of semiconductor elements separated from each other with a p-electrode and a low-melting-point metal diffusion preventing layer on the top surface of the p-layer, and a dielectric so as to cover the end faces of the semiconductor elements A step of forming an end face protective film made of a body, a step of bonding a semiconductor element and a conductive support substrate through a low melting point metal layer, and a step of removing the substrate by laser lift-off. It is a manufacturing method of a semiconductor element.

  The end face protective film is desirably 100 nm to 500 nm. This end face protective film can be formed by, for example, a plasma CVD method. When there is a region where the p-electrode and the low melting point metal diffusion prevention layer are not formed on the upper surface of the semiconductor element, an end face protective film may be formed in the region.

The p electrode is preferably made of a metal having high light reflectivity and low contact resistance, such as Ag, Rh, Pt, Ru, or an alloy containing these metals as a main component. In addition, Ni, Ni alloy, Au alloy, or the like can be used. Moreover, the composite layer which consists of transparent electrode films, such as ITO, and a highly reflective metal film may be sufficient. As the low melting point metal diffusion preventing layer, a multilayer film containing Ti / Ni such as Ti / Ni / Au, a multilayer film containing W / Pt such as W / Pt / Au, and the like can be used. The low melting point metal diffusion preventing layer is a layer that prevents the metal of the low melting point metal layer from diffusing beyond the low melting point metal diffusion preventing layer. The low melting point metal layer includes an Au—Sn layer, an Au—Si layer, an Ag—Sn—Cu layer, a Sn—
Although it is not a metal eutectic layer such as a Bi layer or a low melting point metal, an Au layer, a Sn layer, a Cu layer, or the like can be used.

  The n layer and p layer of the semiconductor element may be a multi-layer consisting of a plurality of layers having different compositions, and may include an intrinsic semiconductor layer. There may be an active layer such as MQW or SQW between the n layer and the p layer.

  As the support substrate, a conductive substrate such as a Si substrate, a GaAs substrate, a Cu substrate, or a Cu—W substrate is used.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device composed of a group III-V semiconductor. A plurality of semiconductor devices having a p-electrode and a low melting point metal diffusion prevention layer on an upper surface and separated from each other on a substrate. A step of forming, a step of forming a buffer layer whose bonding strength with respect to the substrate and the end surface protective film is weaker than the bonding strength between the substrate and the end surface protective film, at least in the vicinity of the end surface of the semiconductor element on the upper surface of the substrate; A step of forming an end face protective film made of a dielectric, a step of bonding a semiconductor element and a conductive support substrate through a low melting point metal layer, a step of removing the substrate by laser lift-off, and a buffer layer And a step of removing the semiconductor element.

  By this manufacturing method, the substrate and the end face protective film are not directly joined.

  After the buffer layer is removed, a step corresponding to the thickness of the buffer layer is generated between the surface of the semiconductor element and the upper end surface of the end face protective film.

  If a buffer layer adheres to the end face of the semiconductor element, a dielectric is not formed in that portion, which is not desirable. Therefore, it is desirable that the end face of the semiconductor element be as inclined as possible, and it is most desirable that the end face be perpendicular to the substrate. Further, it is desirable that the buffer layer is as thin as possible. This is because the region where the end face protective film is formed can be widened. As the buffer layer, an organic film such as a resist or an Au film can be used.

  The buffer layer only needs to be formed between the substrate and the end surface of the end surface protective film, and fills it if it is formed near the semiconductor element end surface on the upper surface of the substrate. Of course, it may be formed on the entire upper surface of the substrate. For example, the buffer layer may be formed so as to cover the substrate and the semiconductor element, and then the buffer layer formed on a portion other than the upper surface of the substrate may be removed.

  A third invention is the method of manufacturing a semiconductor element according to the second invention, wherein the buffer layer is a resist film or an Au film.

  When using a resist film, it is desirable that it is 1 micrometer or less. In the case of using an Au film, it is necessary to clean and remove it when it adheres to the end face of the semiconductor element, so the film thickness is preferably 25 to 50 nm.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects, the end face protective film is formed of any one of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, and aluminum oxide. It is a manufacturing method of an element.

In a fifth aspect based on the first aspect to the fourth aspect, the low melting point metal layer is formed of any one of Au—Sn, Au—Si, Ag—Sn—Cu, and Sn—Bi. This is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

  A sixth invention is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the semiconductor device is made of a group III nitride semiconductor.

  A seventh invention is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor element according to the first to sixth inventions, wherein the semiconductor element is a light emitting element.

  The eighth invention is composed of a group III-V semiconductor, joined to a conductive support substrate via a low melting point metal layer, a p-conductivity type p layer on the side close to the support substrate, and a side far from the support substrate. A semiconductor element having an n-conductivity type n-layer, wherein an end face protective film made of a dielectric is formed on an end face of the semiconductor element, wherein the substrate bonded to the n-layer is removed. is there.

  A ninth invention is a semiconductor element according to the eighth invention, wherein the surface of the n layer is higher than the upper surface of the end face protective film and has a step.

  A tenth aspect of the invention is a semiconductor element according to the eighth or ninth aspect, wherein the end face of the semiconductor element is perpendicular to the support substrate.

  An eleventh aspect of the invention is the semiconductor device according to any one of the eighth to tenth aspects, wherein the end face protective film is formed of any one of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, and aluminum oxide. It is an element.

In a twelfth aspect based on the eighth aspect to the eleventh aspect, the low melting point metal layer is formed of any one of Au—Sn, Au—Si, Ag—Sn—Cu, and Sn—Bi. This is a featured semiconductor element.

  A thirteenth aspect of the invention is a semiconductor element characterized in that, in the eighth to twelfth aspects of the invention, the semiconductor element is made of a group III nitride semiconductor.

  A fourteenth invention is a semiconductor device according to the eighth invention to the thirteenth invention, wherein the semiconductor element is a light emitting element.

  According to the first and eighth inventions, since the end face of the semiconductor element is covered with the end face protective film made of a dielectric, the n layer and the p layer are short-circuited by the low melting point metal at the end face of the semiconductor element because the p layer is thin. Can be prevented. In addition, it is possible to prevent cracking of the end face of the semiconductor element that may occur due to physical impact due to substrate removal at the time of laser lift-off after bonding to the support substrate.

  In the second invention, a buffer layer is provided between the substrate and the end face protective film. This is due to the following reason. Since the removal of the substrate by laser lift-off involves a physical impact, the method of peeling off the substrate and the end face protective film is not stable. Therefore, when only the end face protective film is formed as in the first invention, the end face protective film may be peeled off from the end face of the semiconductor element when the substrate is removed, and the function as the protective film may not be exhibited. Therefore, by providing the buffer layer, physical impact on the end face protective film when the substrate is removed can be reduced, and the end face protective film can be prevented from peeling off from the end face of the semiconductor element. Therefore, the end face protection film does not impair the end face protection function, and the effect of preventing cracking of the end face of the semiconductor element is greater than when only the end face protection film is formed.

  As described above, due to the effects of the present invention, manufacturing defects of semiconductor elements are reduced and yield is improved.

  In addition, since the end face protective film is formed on the end face of the semiconductor element, the semiconductor element of the ninth to fourteenth aspects of the invention is a semiconductor element that has no short circuit on the end face of the semiconductor element and no crack on the end face of the semiconductor element. is there.

  Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the examples.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of a light-emitting element by laser lift-off according to the first embodiment.

  First, a group III nitride semiconductor layer 11 is formed on a sapphire substrate 10 by epitaxial growth, and a p-electrode 13 and a low-melting point metal diffusion prevention layer 14 are formed on the upper surface of a region where each light emitting element 12 is formed (FIG. 1A). ). For the p electrode, Ag, Rh, Pt, Ru, a metal having a high light reflectivity and a low contact resistance such as an alloy containing these metals as a main component, Ni, a Ni alloy, an Au alloy, or the like can be used. Moreover, the composite layer which consists of transparent electrode films, such as ITO, and a highly reflective metal film may be sufficient. For the low melting point metal diffusion preventing layer 14, a multilayer film containing Ti / Ni such as Ti / Ni / Au, a multilayer film containing W / Pt such as W / Pt / Au, or the like is used. The group III nitride semiconductor layer 11 includes an n-type layer 100, an MQW layer 101, and a p-type layer 102, as shown in FIG.

  Next, a predetermined place of the group III nitride semiconductor layer 11 is etched until the sapphire substrate 10 is exposed, thereby separating the light emitting elements 12 (FIG. 1B). Etching was performed so that the end face of the light emitting element 12 was vertical.

  Next, a resist film 15 is formed as a buffer layer on the entire upper surface. At this time, since the end face of the light emitting element 12 is vertical, the resist film 15 is not formed on the end face. The resist film 15 may be thinner than the n-type layer 100 connected to the sapphire substrate 10 of the light emitting element 12, but is desirably as thin as possible. If it is thicker than the n-type layer 100, the end face protective film is not formed on the end face portion in the next step, and the short-circuit preventing effect is lost. Usually, since the n-type layer has a thickness of about 2 μm to 4 μm, the resist film desirably has a thickness of 1 μm or less. Thereafter, the resist film 15 formed on the surface of the light emitting element 12 is removed (FIG. 1C).

  As the buffer layer, Au other than the resist may be used. Since Au needs to be removed when adhering to the end face of the light emitting element 12, it is desirable that the Au film has a thickness of about 25 to 50 nm. If it is 50 nm or more, it is not easy because it is not easy to remove Au adhering to the end face. If it is 25 nm or less, there is a possibility that grain boundary growth may occur, which is not desirable. Polyimide or the like can also be used for the resist.

Next, an end face protective film 16 made of SiO ₂ is formed by plasma CVD on the end face of the light emitting element 12 and the upper surface 121 of the light emitting element 12 where the p-electrode 13 and the low melting point metal diffusion preventing layer 14 are not formed ( FIG. 1D). The end face protective film 16 is for preventing the n-type layer 100 and the p-type layer 102 from being short-circuited on the end face of the light emitting element 12. The film thickness is preferably about 100 nm to 500 nm. The thickness of 100 nm or less is not preferable because the adhesion between the end face of the light emitting element 12 and the end face protective film 16 is low, and the thickness of 500 nm or more is not desirable because a long etching time is required for subsequent patterning. In addition to SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ (silicon nitride), ZrO ₂ (zirconium oxide), NbO (niobium oxide), Al ₂ O ₃ (aluminum oxide), or the like can be used.

Next, the low melting point metal diffusion prevention layer 17 is formed again on the top surfaces of the low melting point metal diffusion prevention layer 14 and the end face protective film 16, and the low melting point metal diffusion layer 18 is formed on the top surface of the low melting point metal diffusion prevention layer 17 (FIG. 1E). The low melting point metal layer 18 includes an Au—Sn layer, an Au—Si layer, an Ag—Sn—Cu layer, Sn.
Although not a metal eutectic layer such as a -Bi layer or a low melting point metal, an Au layer, a Sn layer, a Cu layer, or the like can be used.

  The end face protective film 16 and the low melting point metal diffusion preventing layer 17 are formed in a predetermined pattern by photolithography.

  Next, the support substrate 19 and the low melting point metal layer 18 are joined via the low melting point metal layer 20 formed on the upper surface of the support substrate 19 made of Si (FIG. 1F). As the support substrate 19, GaAs, Cu, or Cu—W can be used in addition to Si. The low melting point metal diffusion preventing layers 14 and 17 are layers for preventing the metal of the low melting point metal layers 18 and 20 from diffusing beyond the low melting point metal diffusion preventing layers 14 and 17.

Then, the sapphire substrate 10 is separated and removed by laser lift-off (FIG. 1G). Laser irradiation is performed by irradiating the wafer with a KrF laser having a wavelength of 248 nm under a condition of 0.7 J / cm ² or more. Since the bonding strength between the resist film 15 and the sapphire substrate 10 and the bonding strength between the resist film 15 and the end face protective film 16 are weak, they easily peel off. Therefore, the physical impact when removing the sapphire substrate 10 is not directly transmitted to the end face protective film 16 due to the presence of the resist film 15. Therefore, the end face protective film 16 can be prevented from being damaged and peeled off. As a result, the end face of the light emitting element 12 is not cracked. In addition, when removing the sapphire substrate 10, the resist film 15 may also be peeled off and removed, but there is no problem because it is removed in the next step.

  Next, the resist film 15 is removed by washing (FIG. 1H). When an Au film is used as a buffer layer instead of the resist film 15, it can be washed and removed by applying an iodine-based etching solution. By removing the resist film 15, a step D corresponding to the thickness of the resist film 15 is generated between the surface of the light emitting element 12 and the upper end surface of the end face protective film 16. This step D may be filled with the same or other material as the end face protective film 16 in a later step.

  Thereafter, the n-electrode is formed and diced, whereby the individual light-emitting elements 12 formed on the support substrate 19 are manufactured. When the low melting point metal layer 20 is cut, metal powder is generated. However, since the end face protective film 16 is formed, the end face of the light emitting element 12 is protected, and a short circuit between the n-type layer 100 and the p-type layer 102 is performed. Is prevented.

  Example 1 is a method for manufacturing a light emitting device, but the present invention is not limited to the light emitting device, but can be applied to any semiconductor device manufactured by laser lift-off. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a semiconductor element composed of a group III nitride semiconductor but also to a semiconductor element composed of a group III-V semiconductor such as GaAs or GaP.

  In Example 1, the p-electrode 13 and the low-melting point metal diffusion prevention layer 14 are formed and then separated into the respective light-emitting elements 12 by etching. The melting point metal diffusion preventing layer 14 may be formed. The buffer layer may be patterned in advance so as to be formed only in the vicinity of the end face of the light emitting element 12 on the sapphire substrate 10. The later removal of the buffer layer becomes easier.

  According to the present invention, the yield of semiconductor device manufacturing by laser lift-off can be improved.

FIG. 6 shows a manufacturing process of the light-emitting element of Example 1; FIG. 6 shows a manufacturing process of the light-emitting element of Example 1; FIG. 6 shows a manufacturing process of the light-emitting element of Example 1; FIG. 6 shows a manufacturing process of the light-emitting element of Example 1; FIG. 6 shows a manufacturing process of the light-emitting element of Example 1; FIG. 6 shows a manufacturing process of the light-emitting element of Example 1; FIG. 6 shows a manufacturing process of the light-emitting element of Example 1; FIG. 6 shows a manufacturing process of the light-emitting element of Example 1; The figure which shows the structure of a group III nitride semiconductor layer.

Explanation of symbols

10: Sapphire substrate 11: Group III nitride semiconductor layer 12: Light emitting element 13: P electrode 14, 17: Low melting point metal diffusion prevention layer 15: Buffer layer 16: End face protective film 18, 20: Low melting point metal layer 19: Support Substrate 100: n-type layer 101: MQW layer 102: p-type layer

Claims (14)

In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device composed of a group III-V semiconductor,
On the substrate, there is at least an n-conduction type n layer on the side close to the substrate, and a p-conduction type p layer on the side far from the substrate, and a p-electrode and a low melting point metal diffusion prevention on the uppermost surface of the p layer. Forming a plurality of the semiconductor elements having a layer on an upper surface and separated from each other;
Forming an end face protective film made of a dielectric so as to cover the end face of the semiconductor element;
Bonding the semiconductor element and the conductive support substrate through a low melting point metal layer;
Removing the substrate by laser lift-off;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device composed of a group III-V semiconductor,
Forming a plurality of the semiconductor elements having a p-electrode and a low-melting-point metal diffusion preventing layer on an upper surface and separated from each other on a substrate;
Forming a buffer layer whose bonding strength to the substrate and the end surface protective film is lower than the bonding strength between the substrate and the end surface protective film, at least in the vicinity of the semiconductor element end surface of the upper surface of the substrate;
Forming an end face protective film made of a dielectric so as to cover the end face of the semiconductor element;
Bonding the semiconductor element and the conductive support substrate through a low melting point metal layer;
Removing the substrate by laser lift-off;
Removing the buffer layer;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:   The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the buffer layer is a resist film or an Au film.   4. The semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the end face protective film is formed of any one of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, and aluminum oxide. Manufacturing method. The low-melting-point metal layer is formed of any one of Au-Sn, Au-Si, Ag-Sn-Cu, and Sn-Bi. The manufacturing method of the semiconductor element of description.   6. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor element is made of a group III nitride semiconductor.   The method of manufacturing a semiconductor element according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor element is a light emitting element. Composed of a III-V semiconductor, joined to a conductive support substrate via a low-melting point metal layer, a p-conduction p-layer on the side close to the support substrate, and an n-conduction n layer on the side far from the support substrate And a semiconductor element from which the substrate bonded to the n layer is removed,
An end face protective film made of a dielectric is formed on the end face of the semiconductor element.   The semiconductor element according to claim 8, wherein a surface of the n layer is higher than an upper surface of the end face protective film and has a step.   The semiconductor element according to claim 8, wherein an end face of the semiconductor element is perpendicular to a support substrate.   11. The semiconductor element according to claim 8, wherein the end face protective film is formed of any one of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, and aluminum oxide. . The low-melting-point metal layer is formed of any one of Au-Sn, Au-Si, Ag-Sn-Cu, and Sn-Bi, according to any one of claims 8 to 11. The semiconductor element as described.   13. The semiconductor element according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor element is made of a group III nitride semiconductor.   The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor device is a light emitting device.

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