US7501293B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Semiconductor device in which zinc oxide is used as a semiconductor material and method for manufacturing the semiconductor device
Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd
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Filing: 2003-06-04
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Granted: 2009-03-10
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Expires: 2023-06-04
Abstract
Abstract A semiconductor device having excellent crystallinity and excellent electric characteristics includes a ZnO thin film having excellent surface smoothness. ZnO-based thin films (an n-type contact layer, an n-type clad layer, an active layer, a p-type clad layer, and a p-type contact layer) primarily including ZnO are formed sequentially by an ECR sputtering method or other suitable method on a zinc-polar surface of a ZnO substrate. A transparent electrode and a p-side electrode are formed by an evaporation method or other suitable method on a surface of the p-type contact layer, and an n-side electrode is formed on an oxygen-polar surface of the ZnO substrate.
Inventors
- 👤 Yoshihiro Ito
- 👤 Michio Kadota
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 09:16
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10D; H10D30/00; H10D30/60; H10D30/67; H10D30/674; H10D30/6755; H01; H01S; H01S5/00; H01S5/30; H01S5/32; H01S5/327; H10H; H10H20/00; H10H20/80; H10H20/81; H10H20/822; H10H20/823; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/20; H10P14/22; H10P14/29; H10P14/2901; H10P14/2913; H10P14/2914; H10P14/32; H10P14/3202; H10P14/3224; H10P14/3226; H10P14/3234; H10P14/3242; H10P14/3244; H10P14/3251; H10P14/3252; H10P14/34; H10P14/3402; H10P14/3424; H10P14/3426; H10P14/3434; H10P14/3438; H10P14/3441; H10P14/3446
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
106 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a single crystal substrate primarily including zinc oxide and having a zinc-polar surface and an oxygen-polar surface; and at least one layer of thin film primarily including zinc oxide disposed on the zinc-polar surface; wherein the at least one layer of thin film includes a multilayer film and the multilayer film defines a light-emitting layer; the multilayer film includes an n-type contact layer, an n-type clad layer, an active layer, a p-type clad layer and a p-type contact layer; and the n-type contact layer is a zinc oxide layer that is in contact with the zinc-polar surface of the single crystal substrate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
106 words
A semiconductor device comprising: a single crystal substrate primarily including zinc oxide and having a zinc-polar surface and an oxygen-polar surface; and at least one layer of thin film primarily including zinc oxide disposed on the zinc-polar surface; wherein the at least one layer of thin film includes a multilayer film and the multilayer film defines a light-emitting layer; the multilayer film includes an n-type contact layer, an n-type clad layer, an active layer, a p-type clad layer and a p-type contact layer; and the n-type contact layer is a zinc oxide layer that is in contact with the zinc-polar surface of the single crystal substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one layer of thin film has zinc-polarity.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising a transparent electrode disposed on the multilayer film.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The semiconductor device according to claim 3 , wherein the transparent electrode is made of Indium Tin Oxide.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
117 words
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: determining whether a surface of a single crystal substrate primarily including zinc oxide is a zinc-polar surface or an oxygen-polar surface; and forming at least one layer of thin film primarily including zinc oxide on the zinc-polar surface; wherein the at least one layer of thin film includes a multilayer film and the multilayer film defines a light-emitting layer; the multilayer film includes an n-type contact layer, an n-type clad layer, an active layer, a p-type clad layer and a p-type contact layer; and the n-type contact layer is a zinc oxide layer that is in contact with the zinc-polar surface of the single crystal substrate.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
117 words
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: determining whether a surface of a single crystal substrate primarily including zinc oxide is a zinc-polar surface or an oxygen-polar surface; and forming at least one layer of thin film primarily including zinc oxide on the zinc-polar surface; wherein the at least one layer of thin film includes a multilayer film and the multilayer film defines a light-emitting layer; the multilayer film includes an n-type contact layer, an n-type clad layer, an active layer, a p-type clad layer and a p-type contact layer; and the n-type contact layer is a zinc oxide layer that is in contact with the zinc-polar surface of the single crystal substrate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5 , wherein the thin film has zinc-polarity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5 , further comprising the steps of: providing a sputtering apparatus provided with a plasma generation chamber and a separate film formation chamber; and performing sputtering treatment using the sputtering apparatus so as to form the thin film.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7 , wherein the sputtering treatment is performed by a method selected from the group consisting of an electron cyclotron resonance plasma sputtering method, an inductively coupled plasma sputtering method, a helicon wave excited plasma sputtering method, an ion beam sputtering method, and a cluster beam sputtering method.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5 , wherein the thin film is formed by a method selected from the group consisting of a molecular-beam epitaxy method, a metal organic chemical vapor deposition method, a laser molecular-beam epitaxy method, and a laser abrasion method.
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