Solidstate Light-Emitting Device

This invention relates to a solid-state light-emitting device and particularly concerns a semiconductor laser.

In semiconductor laser devices, as a result of employment of a double heterostructure, lasing at room temperature becomes possible and practical uses of the semiconductor laser device becomes attractive. Double heterostructure semiconductor lasers of an early stage were announced by M. B. Panish et al. in pp 326-327 of Applied Physics Letters, volume 16, number 8 published on Apr. 15, 1970. The device announced in the abovementioned publication has the structure that an n-type Ga.sub.1-x Al.sub.x Ae region, a p-type GaAs region and a p-type Ga.sub.1-x Al.sub.x As region are formed sequentially on a substrate of n-type GaAs crystal. In the abovementioned device, current is made to flow from the p-type Ga.sub.1-x Al.sub.x As region to the n-type GaAs substrate, and carriers as well as lidht are confined in the GaAs active region, which is a thin region disposed perpendicular to the direction of the current.

Subsequently, as an improved device capable of confining the light in a limited narrow part of an active region, the so-called stripe-type semiconductor laser has been developed. In the stripe-type semiconductor laser, it becomes possible to decrease considerably the threshold current for lasing thereby enabling low current operation. This becomes possible by confining carrier and light within a narrow stripe region. However, even in such a stripe-type laser, dispersion of current in the active region cannot be ignored, and the threshold current is not prominently reduced even when the width of the stripe region is sufficiently narrowed. Moreover, in such a stripe-type laser, on account of the insulation film, of, for instance, SiO.sub.2 or SI.sub.3 N.sub.4 disposed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer except on the surface of the stripe shaped electrode contact, a considerable strain caused by difference of thermal expansion coefficient is produced at the interface between the semiconductor and the insulation film, and the effect of the strain reaches the active region resulting in deterioration of the lasing characteristic, hence shortening the life of the device.

This invention provides an improved semiconductor laser wherein current is concentrated in a sufficiently small part in its active region, and therefore to provide a semiconductor laser having small threshold current of lasing. A futher object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor laser wherein substantially no strain of crystal structure occurs.

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation view of a semiconductor laser embodying the present invention,

FIG. 2(a) to (f) are sectional elevation views of various steps of the making of the device of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing lasing characteristic of the examples of the present invention (curve I) as compared with the prior art(curve II).

FIG. 1 shows one example of the semiconductor laser. The substrate 1 of GaAs is mesa-etched so as to retain central part as mesa region 11 of stripe geometry, and a crystal region 2 of higher resistivity than the substrate 1 which crystal region is filled in the mesa-etched recess parts. The higher registivity region 2 is of Ga.sub.1-x Al.sub.x As crystal where 0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.1. The mesa region 11 is burried up to its top part in the higher resistivity regions 2 in a manner such that top faces of the mesa region 11 and the higher resistivity regions 2,2 become flush with each other. Then, an n-type Ga.sub.0.7 Al.sub.0.3 As region 3, a p-type GaAs active region 4, a p-type Ga.sub.0.7 Al.sub.0.3 As region 5 and a p.sup.+ -type GaAs region 6 are sequentially formed in this order on the abovementioned flush top surfaces of the mesa region 11 and higher resistivity regions 2,2. Furthermore, an n-type Ga.sub.1-y Al.sub.y As (0<y.ltoreq.1) region 7 having an opening 71 of the similar or the same stripe geometry to the mesa region 11 is formed, and a metal electrode 8 which contacts the p.sup.+ -type GaAs region 6 at the opening 71 is formed on the region 7. The n-type region 7 formed on the p.sup.+ -type region 6 forms a p-n isolation junction inbetween, and accordingly, the region 7 serves as electrode contact isolation layer. The stripe shaped opening 71 is disposed in a manner to correspond with the top face of the mesa region 11 with the regions 3,4,5 and 6 inbetween. The lasing current is fed from the top metal electrode 8 to the bottom metal electrode 9.

In the laser of the abovementioned structure, both the effective contacting area of the metal electrode 72 and the mesa region 11 of the substrate are of narrow stripe geometry. Accordingly, lines of electric force in the laser device are narrowly concentrated on account of narrow widths of the electrode area 72 and the mesa region 11. Therefore, the current in the active region 4 is well concentrated in a narrow stripe shaped part 41, thereby improving lasing efficiency.

In the abovementioned laser device, the thermal expansion coefficient from the substrate, the active region 4 inclusive, to the isolation region 7 are almost same and the active region 4 is not treated with any undesirable treatments such as mesa-etching and thermal oxidation. Accordingly, there is no fear of any strain reaching the active region 4, and hence deterioration of the characteristic of the laser is eliminated.

FIG. 2 illustrates steps of making the laser device of FIG. 1.

The substrate 1 which is the starting material is (100)-oriented Te-doped n-type GaAs crystal of 2.times.10.sup.18 cm.sup.-3 concentration. As shown in FIG. 2(a), SiO.sub.2 films of about 5000A thick are formed on the GaAs substrate 1 by a known photochemical method so as to have a pattern of stripes 20 . . . of about 10 .mu.m disposed with 250 .mu.m pitch and in the<110>direction of the substrate crystal. Then, by employing said SiO.sub.2 films 20 . . . as an etching mask, the n-type GaAs substrate 1 is mesa-etched with the etchant consisting of sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide solution and water in a volume ratio of 8:1:1. The GaAs substrate 1 is etched by the abovementioned etchant at 60.degree. C. for 3 minutes, and then the etching is made to a depth of 6 .mu.m. Thus, the substrate 1 is mesa-etched as shown in FIG. 2(b). Then, as shown in FIG. 2(c), the higher resistivity GaAs crystal regions 2 . . . are filled in the recesses 12 . . . formed by the mesa-etching in a manner that top faces of the filled-in GaAs crystal regions 2 . . . are flush with the top faces of the mesa-regions 11 . . . , and both of the top faces of the regions 2 . . . and 11 . . . are lapped to form a mirror-like flush face. Forming the abovementioned higher resistivity regions is made by a vapor-phase epitaxial growth method by thermal decomposition of mixed gases of trimethygallium (Ga(CH.sub.3).sub.3) and arsine(AsH.sub.3) by employing the abovementioned SiO.sub.2 films as masks. Empirical data show that such high resistivity as 10.sup.4 .OMEGA.cm can be obtainable at the temperature of thermal decomposition of 630.degree. C. As the higher resistivity regions 2 . . . , a mixed crystal of GaAlAs can also be used, and in general, the higher resistivity regions 2 . . . can be of Ga.sub.1-x Al.sub.x As where 0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.1. In order to decrease strains around the higher resistivity regions 2 . . . , namely strains in the active region 4 originated by the strains in the higher resistivity regions 2 . . . , it is desirable to control the epitaxial growth process so as to make x values with a gradient such that x=0 at the bottom part (where the regions 2 . . . contact the substrate 1) and x=0.3 at the top face (which contacts the nGa.sub.0.7 Al.sub.0.3 As). The SiO.sub.2 films 20 are removed by a known method.

Next, as shown by FIG. 2(d), regions 3 of n-type Ga.sub.0.7 Al.sub.0.3 As, regions 4 of p-type GaAs, regions 5 of p-type Ga.sub.0.7 Al.sub.0.3 As and regions 6 of p.sup.+ -type GaAs are formed by sequential epitaxial growths on and across the mirror-lapped flush top surface of the substrate 1 and the filled regions 2 . . . . Then the regions 7 of n-type Ga.sub.1-y Al.sub.y As (0.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.1) are formed on the region 6. The openings of the strips geometry are formed by known photoetching methods on the region 7 so as to expose the underlying region 6 therefrom. Since the regions 7 and the regions 6 form a heterostructure with each other, the exposed parts of the regions 7 only can be etched away by hot phosphoric acid retaining the underlying regions 6 unharmed. Finally a top metal electrode 8 and the bottom metal electrode 9 are formed to cover the entirety of the top surface and the entirety of the bottom surface, respectively, by means of a known metal vapor deposition method, thereby making a wafer as shown FIG. 2(e ). Then, a scribing is made on the wafer and the wafer is out into individual units as shown in FIG. 2(f) at the cuting lines indicated by the dashed lines in FIG. 2(e).

Fig. 3 shows lasing characteristic curves of the laser embodying the present invention and of the prior art. In FIG. 3, the curve I shows the characteristic of the example of the present invention while curve II shows that of a representative example of conventional stripe type laser using SiO.sub.2 films for contact isolation. Threshold current density is very much influenced by thicknesses of the four layers 1,3,4 and 5 which form the double heterostructure, and accordingly, in the examples used for obtaining the curves of FIG. 3, corresponding elements of four layers are selected to be of equal thicknesses, and the threshold current densities are plotted as a function of stripe widths. In the examples of FIG. 3, the thicknesses of the active region 4 are 0.2 .mu.m. As shown in FIG. 3, the semiconductor laser of the present invention has smaller threshold current of lasing in comparison with the conventional stripe type laser, and especially smaller threshold current for smaller stripe widths. Such a fact may be explained that in the conventional structure the current injected from the stripe electrode disperses widely when reaching the active region, and the width of the current at the active region is generally 1.5 to 3 times of the width of the stripe electrode at the stripe width of 10 .mu.m, while in the present invention on account of the stripe-shaped contacting part of the electrode 72 and the stripe-shaped mesa-part 11 disposed on both sides (upper side and lower side) of the active region 4, the current is fairly concentrated in the active region 4.

A further advantage of the present invention is long life with a stable characteristic. As elucidated referring to FIGS. 2(a) to (f), lattice constants of the mesa part 11 and the higher resistivity regions 2 are almost equal to each other, and therefor, there is substantially no strain of crystal structure in these regions. Also the lattice constants of the n-type Ga.sub.1-y Al.sub.y As region 7 and the immediately underlying p.sup.+ -type GaAs region 6 are made to be almost equal. Accordingly, there is no fear of introducing strains in the active region 4. On account of such ommission of strains, this stable characteristic is assured for a long time. The example of the abovementioned structure and manufacturing method having empirically proved to exhibit a life twice as long in comparison with the conventional examples.

Though the abovementioned example is of a double heterostructure laser, this invention is also applicable to the lasers of single heterostructure, or homo-junction-structure etc., and is also applicable to light emitting diodes.

Features of the present invention are summarized as follows:

(1) The solid state light emitting device comprises on a semiconductor substrate 1 a light emitting portion 3,4,5 and 6 which emits light by injection of a carrier, the substrate 1 comprising narrowed part 11 defined by buried-in higher resistivity semiconductor isolation regions 2,2.

(2) In the device of the abovementioned item(1), the light-emitting part 3,4,5 and 6 and the higher resistivity isolation regions 2,2 are formed from semiconductor crystals of III-V compound, especially of GaAs or GaAlAs.

(3) In the device of the item (1), the light emitting part comprises a heterostructure, and more particularly the heterostructure comprising GaAs-GaAlAs junction.

(4) In the device of the item (1), the light emitting part comprises a double heterostructure and on both sides (namely, on the upper side and on the lower side) of the light emitting part there are formed higher resistivity semiconductor isolation regions 2,2 and semiconductor isolation regions 7,7, respectively, for limiting carries to narrowed paths.

(5) A method for manufacturing the device of the abovementioned items (1) to (4), comprises the following steps:

forming a mesa region 11 on a semiconductor substrate 1 which is a starting material,

filling with higher resistivity regions 2,2 in the recesses 12, 12 around the mesa region 11 in a manner that top faces of the mesa region 11 and the filled-in higher resistivity regions 2,2 are flush with each other, and

epitaxially growing light-emitting regions 3,4,5 and 6 all the way across and on the flush top faces of the mesa region 11 and the higher resistivity regions,

(6) The method of item (5) may further comprise the step of

forming semiconductor isolation regions 7,7 which form contact isolation junctions between the underlying region 6, the contact isolation junctions defining the stripe shaped contacting part 72 of the contact electrode 7 in the opening 71 formed inbetween.

(7) The method of item (5) may also include the step wherein the higher resistivity regions are formed by a vapor phase epitaxial growth method.

(8) The method of the items (5) to (7) may also include the features wherein the semiconductor regions comprise GaAs and GaAlAs crystal regions.