Epitaxial film forming method, vacuum processing apparatus, semiconductor light emitting element manufacturing method, semiconductor light emitting element, and illuminating device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9252322-B2
Application number	US-201213661948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2012
Priority date	Apr 30, 2010
Publication date	Feb 2, 2016
Grant date	Feb 2, 2016

Abstract

The present invention provides: an epitaxial film forming method capable of fabricating a +c-polarity epitaxial film made of a Group III nitride semiconductor by sputtering; and a vacuum processing apparatus suitable for this epitaxial film forming method. In one embodiment of the present invention, a Group III nitride semiconductor thin film is epitaxially grown by sputtering on an α-Al 2 O 3 substrate heated to a desired temperature by using a heater. First, the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate is disposed on a substrate holder including the heater in such a way that the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate is disposed away from the heater by a predetermined distance. Then, an epitaxial film of a Group III nitride semiconductor thin film is formed on the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate in the state where the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate is disposed away from the heater by the predetermined distance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An epitaxial film forming method of epitaxially growing a Group III nitride semiconductor thin film by sputtering on an α-Al 2 O 3 substrate heated to a desired temperature by using a heater, the method comprising:
holding the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate away from a substrate facing surface of the heater by 0.5-5 mm; and
forming an epitaxial film of a Group III nitride semiconductor thin film by sputtering on the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate in a state of being held away from the substrate facing surface by 0.5-5 mm, the epitaxial film having +c polarity.

2. A semiconductor light emitting element manufacturing method comprising the epitaxial film forming method according to claim 1 .

3. A semiconductor light emitting element comprising an epitaxial film of a Group III nitride semiconductor thin film fabricated by the epitaxial film forming method according to claim 1 .

4. An illuminating device comprising the semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 3 .

5. An epitaxial film forming method of forming an epitaxial film of a Group III nitride semiconductor thin film by sputtering on an α-Al 2 O 3 substrate by using a vacuum processing apparatus including:
a vacuum chamber capable of vacuum pumping;
a substrate holder for supporting the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate; and
a heater capable of heating the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate held by the substrate holder to a desired temperature,
wherein an epitaxial film of a Group III nitride semiconductor thin film is formed by sputtering on the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate in a state where the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate held by the substrate holder is held away from a substrate facing surface of the heater by 0.5-5 mm, and
wherein the epitaxial film has a +c polarity.

6. The epitaxial film forming method according to claim 5 , wherein the substrate holder holds the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate in a state where the substrate holder is in contact with a surface of the α-Al 2 O 3 substrate on a lower side in a direction of gravity.

7. A semiconductor light emitting element manufacturing method comprising the epitaxial film forming method according to claim 5 .

8. A semiconductor light emitting element comprising an epitaxial film of a Group III nitride semiconductor thin film fabricated by the epitaxial film forming method according to claim 5 .

9. An illuminating device comprising the semiconductor light emitting element according to claim 8 .

Assignees

• Canon Anelva Corp

Inventors

• Daigo Yoshiaki
• Ishibashi Keiji

Classifications

• H10P14/3416

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P14/3216

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P14/2921

  being crystalline insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P14/22

  using physical deposition, e.g. vacuum deposition or sputtering · CPC title

• H10H20/818

  within the light-emitting regions · CPC title