Methods for using remote plasma chemical vapor deposition (RP-CVD) and sputtering deposition to grow layers in light emitting devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10236409-B2
Application number	US-201715600368-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2017
Priority date	May 20, 2016
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

Described herein are methods for using remote plasma chemical vapor deposition (RP-CVD) and sputtering deposition to grow layers for light emitting devices. A method includes growing a light emitting device structure on a growth substrate, and growing a tunnel junction on the light emitting device structure using at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition. The tunnel junction includes a p++ layer in direct contact with a p-type region, where the p++ layer is grown by using at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition. Another method for growing a device includes growing a p-type region over a growth substrate using at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition, and growing further layers over the p-type region. Another method for growing a device includes growing a light emitting region and an n-type region using at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition over a p-type region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for growing a light emitting device, the method comprising:
growing a light emitting device structure on a growth substrate, the light emitting device structure including a n-type region, a light emitting region and a p-type region stacked together; and
growing at least a portion of a layer of a tunnel junction on the light emitting device structure by using at least one of remote plasma chemical vapor deposition (RP-CVD) and sputtering deposition in at least a reduced hydrogen environment that does not cause inoperability of at least the p-type region,
the light emitting device structure being grown on the growth substrate using a non-RP-CVD and non-sputtering deposition process.

2. The method of claim 1 , the growing the tunnel junction further comprising:
directly contacting a p++ layer with the p-type region, wherein the p++ layer is more heavily doped than the p-type region; and
contacting a n++ layer with the p++ layer, wherein the portion of the layer is the p++ layer,
the light emitting device structure and tunnel junction being made of III-nitride material.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the n++ layer is grown by the at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition in at least a reduced hydrogen environment that does not cause inoperability of at least the p++ layer.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the growing the light emitting device structure further comprises:
growing the n-type region, the light emitting layer, and the p-type region by metal organic chemical vapor deposition;
annealing the n-type region, the III-nitride light emitting layer, and the p-type region; and
the growing at least a portion of the layer of the tunnel junction further comprises:
after said annealing, growing the p++ layer on the p-type region, wherein the layer is the p++ layer.

5. The method of claim 2 , the tunnel junction further comprising an additional layer disposed between the p++ layer and the n++ layer, the additional layer having a different composition from either the p++ layer or the n++ layer.

6. The method of claim 1 , the growing the light emitting device structure further comprising:
growing the n-type region, the light emitting region, and a first portion of the p-type region by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD);
annealing the n-type region, the light emitting region, and the first portion of the p-type region; and
after said annealing, growing a second portion of the p-type region by the at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition in at least a reduced hydrogen environment that does not cause inoperability of at least the first portion of the p-type region and the second portion of the p-type region.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a first metal contact in direct contact with the n-type region and a second metal contact in direct contact with the n-type contact layer.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
growing another light emitting device structure on the tunnel junction.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least a reduced hydrogen environment is a hydrogen-free environment.

10. The method of claim 1 , the growing the tunnel junction further comprising:
directly contacting a p++ layer with the p-type region, wherein the layer is the p++ layer and the p++ layer is more heavily doped than the p-type region, at least a portion of the p++ layer being grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD);
annealing at least the portion of the p++ layer; and
directly contacting a n++ layer with the p++ layer, the n++ layer being grown by the at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition in at least a reduced hydrogen environment that does not cause inoperability of at least the p++ layer.

11. A method for growing a device, comprising:
growing a p-type region over a growth substrate by at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition in at least a reduced hydrogen environment that does not cause inoperability of at least the p-type region;
growing a light emitting region over the p-type region; and
growing an n-type region over the light emitting region using a non-RP-CVD and non-sputtering deposition process,
the p-type region, the light emitting region and the n-type region being made from III-nitride materials.

12. The method of claim 11 , the growth substrate comprising a non-III-nitride material and a GaN film disposed on the non-III-nitride material, the method further comprising:
growing the GaN film by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).

13. The method of claim 11 , the growth substrate comprising a non-III-nitride material and a GaN film disposed on the non-III-nitride material, the method further comprising:
growing the GaN film by the at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition.

14. The method of claim 11 , the growing the light emitting region over the p-type region comprising growing a first portion of the light emitting region by the at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition in at least a reduced hydrogen environment that does not cause inoperability of at least the p-type region and growing a second portion of the light emitting region by MOCVD.

15. The method of claim 11 , the growing the light emitting region over the p-type region comprising growing the light emitting region by the at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition in at least a reduced hydrogen environment that does not cause inoperability of at least the p-type region.

16. The method of claim 15 , the growing the n-type region over the light emitting region comprising growing a portion of the n-type region by the at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition.

17. The method of claim 11 , the growing the light emitting region over the p-type region comprising growing the light emitting region by MOCVD.

18. The method of claim 11 , the growing the n-type region over the light emitting region comprising growing the n-type region by MOCVD.

19. A method for growing a device, comprising:
growing a p-type region over a growth substrate;
growing a light emitting region over the p-type region; and
growing a portion of an n-type region over the light emitting region,
at least a portion of at least one of the light emitting region and a remaining portion the n-type region being grown by at least one of RP-CVD and sputtering deposition in at least a reduced hydrogen environment that does not cause inoperability of at least the p-type region.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
annealing the p-type region after growing the p-type region by MOCVD.

21. The method of claim 19 , the p-type region, the light emitting region and the n-type region being made from III-nitride materials.

22. A light emitting device comprising:
a growth substrate;
a light emitting device structure grown on the growth substrate, the light emitting device structure including a n-type region, a light emitting region and a p-type region stacked together; and
at least a portion of a layer of a tunnel junction grown on the light emitting device structure with at least one of remote plasma chemical vapor deposition (RP-CVD) and sputtering deposition in at least a reduced hydrogen environment that does not cause inoperability of at least the p-type region.

23. The light emitting device of claim 22 , the tunnel junction further comprising:
a p++ layer directly contacting the p-type region, wherein the p++

Assignees

• Lumileds Llc

Inventors

• Wildeson Isaac
• Deb Parijat
• Nelson Erik Charles
• Kobayashi Junko

Classifications

• H10P14/3444

  P-type · CPC title

• H10P14/3442

  N-type · CPC title

• H10P14/3416

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P14/3216

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P14/24

  using chemical vapour deposition [CVD] · CPC title