Laser element manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus, laser element, and electronic device

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a laser element includes: a step of preparing a semiconductor substrate (10) having a base substrate (BK), a first growth-inhibiting part (5F) and a second growth-inhibiting part (5S) adjacent to each other across an opening (K), and a first semiconductor part (S1) having a longitudinal shape located above the first growth-inhibiting part (5F) and the second growth-inhibiting part (5S) from the opening (K); a step of forming over the first semiconductor part (S1) a second semiconductor part (S2) including ridges (RJ) located above the first growth-inhibiting part (5F); and a step of scribing a portion of a first laminate (LB1), which includes the first semiconductor part (S1) and the second semiconductor part (S2), on the side where the ridges (RJ) are located.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a laser element. [Background technology]

[0002] Selective growth techniques such as ELO (Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth) are known as techniques for reducing threading dislocations in gallium nitride (GaN) based thin films (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-251304 Summary of the Invention

[0004] A method for manufacturing a laser element in one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the steps of: preparing a semiconductor substrate having a base substrate, a first growth inhibition portion and a second growth inhibition portion adjacent to each other with an opening therebetween, and a first semiconductor portion having an elongated shape located from the opening onto the first growth inhibition portion and the second growth inhibition portion; forming a second semiconductor portion on the first semiconductor portion, the second semiconductor portion including a ridge portion located above the first growth inhibition portion; and scribing a portion of a first stack including the first semiconductor portion and the second semiconductor portion on the side where the ridge portion is located.

[0005] Furthermore, a method for manufacturing a laser element in one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the steps of preparing a semiconductor substrate having a base substrate, a first growth inhibition portion and a second growth inhibition portion adjacent to each other with an opening therebetween, and a first semiconductor portion having an elongated shape located from the opening onto the first growth inhibition portion and the second growth inhibition portion; forming an intermediate portion including an active layer on the first semiconductor portion; scribing a portion of a stack including the first semiconductor portion and the intermediate portion located on the first growth inhibition portion; and forming a ridge portion located above the first growth inhibition portion above the active layer.

[0006] A laser element in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a base semiconductor portion and a compound semiconductor portion located on the base semiconductor portion and including an active portion, the base semiconductor portion including a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion located between the first portion and the second portion, and the compound semiconductor portion has a ridge portion located above the first portion and has a scribe mark on the portion on the side where the ridge portion is located. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a laser body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of an optical resonator of the laser body. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a compound semiconductor portion. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a compound semiconductor portion. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of another example of a laser body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a method for manufacturing a laser device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1A to 1C are cross-sectional views schematically illustrating a method for manufacturing a laser element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a method for manufacturing a laser element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a laser body in Example 1. [Figure 10] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a laser body in Example 1. FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a laser element in Example 1. FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a laser element in Example 1. FIG. [Figure 13] 3 is a flowchart schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser device in Example 1. [Figure 14] 1A to 1C are cross-sectional views schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser element in Example 1. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a template substrate. [Figure 16A] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing an example of a method for scribing and cleaving a laminate. [Figure 16B] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing an example of a method for scribing and cleaving a laminate. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a laser substrate in which a plurality of laser elements are bonded to a support substrate. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a bar-shaped laser substrate after being divided. [Figure 19] 1 is a block diagram showing a laser device manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 20] 10 is a side view schematically showing another example of the method for manufacturing the laser element in Example 1. FIG. [Figure 21A] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a trajectory of a scribing tool. [Figure 21B] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a trajectory of a scribing tool. [Figure 22] 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser element in Example 2. [Figure 23] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of lateral growth of a first semiconductor portion. [Figure 24]10A to 10C are cross-sectional views schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser element according to Example 3. [Figure 25] 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser element in Example 4. [Figure 26] 10 is a flowchart schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser device in Example 5. [Figure 27] 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser element in Example 5. [Figure 28] 13 is a flowchart schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser device in Example 6. [Figure 29] 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser device in Example 6. [Figure 30] 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser device in Example 8. [Figure 31] 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser device in Example 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is intended to provide a better understanding of the gist of the present disclosure and does not limit the present disclosure unless otherwise specified. Unless otherwise specified in this specification, "A to B" representing a numerical range means "A or more and B or less." Furthermore, the shapes and dimensions (length, width, etc.) of the configurations depicted in each drawing in this application do not necessarily reflect the actual shapes and dimensions, and have been changed as appropriate for clarity and simplification of the drawings. In this specification, a semiconductor laser (Laser Diode: LD) element may be simply referred to as a "laser element."

[0009] In the following description, first, a general description will be given of the structure of a laser body included in a laser element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and then a description will be given of a method for manufacturing a laser element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] [Laser body] A laser body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of a laser body 21 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of an optical resonator LK included in the laser body 21. FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views illustrating the configuration of a compound semiconductor portion 9. Note that, for clarity of illustration, FIG. 1 shows the structure of each portion in a simplified manner, and exaggerates the thickness of the compound semiconductor portion 9 and the ridge portion RJ. The laser body 21 may be located on a growth substrate (e.g., a template substrate 7 described below) or may be mounted on a mounting substrate (also referred to as a submount). The growth substrate or mounting substrate is omitted from FIG. 1 and other figures.

[0011] 1 to 4, the laser body 21 in this embodiment includes a base semiconductor portion 8 and a compound semiconductor portion 9 located on the base semiconductor portion 8 and including an optical resonator LK. The base semiconductor portion 8 may be a base semiconductor layer, and the compound semiconductor portion 9 may be a compound semiconductor layer.

[0012] The base semiconductor portion 8 includes a first portion B1, a second portion B2, and a third portion B3 located between the first portion B1 and the second portion B2. As will be described later, the third portion B3 may be a portion in which the density of threading dislocations extending in the thickness direction (Z direction) (threading dislocation density) is higher than those of the first portion B1 and the second portion B2.

[0013] The compound semiconductor portion 9 has a ridge portion RJ located above the first portion B1. The laser body 21 may have a scribe mark M on the side where the ridge portion RJ is located. The scribe mark M is a scribe mark left by scribing a longitudinally shaped laminate (described below) to cleave the laminate to form the laser body 21. The scribe mark M will be described in detail below together with the description of the manufacturing method of the laser element.

[0014] The cavity LK has a pair of cavity facets F1 and F2. In the laser body 21, at least one of the pair of cavity facets F1 and F2 may be included in a cleavage plane of the compound semiconductor portion 9. The cavity facet F1 may be the surface from which the laser is emitted. As shown in FIG. 4, a reflector film UF (e.g., a dielectric film) may be provided to cover each of the cavity facets F1 and F2.

[0015] The base semiconductor portion 8 and the compound semiconductor portion 9 may include a nitride semiconductor (for example, a GaN-based semiconductor). The nitride semiconductor may be, for example, AlxGayInzN (0≦x≦1; 0≦ y≦1; 0≦z≦1; x+y+z=1), and specific examples include GaN-based semiconductors, AlN (aluminum nitride), InAlN (indium aluminum nitride), and InN (indium nitride). GaN-based semiconductors are semiconductors containing gallium atoms (Ga) and nitrogen atoms (N), and typical examples include GaN, AlGaN, AlGaInN, and InGaN. The base semiconductor portion 8 may be doped (e.g., n-type containing donors) or non-doped (i-type).

[0016] The base semiconductor portion 8 including a nitride semiconductor can be formed using the ELO (Epitaxial Lateral Overgrowth) method. In the ELO method, for example, the base semiconductor portion 8 is grown laterally on a template substrate having a selective growth mask (described later). This allows low-defect portions (first portion B1 and second portion B2) with a low threading dislocation density to be formed on the selective growth mask.

[0017] The laser body 21 is provided with a first electrode E1 and a second electrode E2 for supplying current to the optical resonator LK. The first electrode E1 can be arranged so as to overlap with the optical resonator LK in a plan view seen in the thickness direction of the base semiconductor portion 8. Note that "two members overlap" means that at least a portion of one member overlaps the other member in a plan view seen in the thickness direction of each member (including a perspective plan view), and these members may or may not be in contact with each other.

[0018] In the laser body 21, multiple layers are stacked on the base semiconductor portion 8 as the compound semiconductor portion 9, and the stacking direction (thickness direction) can be defined as the Z direction. Hereinafter, the positive Z-axis side of the XYZ axes shown in FIG. 1 etc. will be referred to as the "upper side," and the negative Z-axis side will be referred to as the "lower side." Also, in this specification, viewing a certain component from the Z direction, in other words, viewing the component from a line of sight parallel to the normal direction of the top surface of a substantially flat component, will be referred to as a "planar view." This also applies to the following explanation, and will not be repeated.

[0019] In FIG. 1 , the first and second electrodes E1 and E2 are provided on different sides of the base semiconductor portion 8 and overlap in a plan view (double-sided electrode structure), but the laser body 21 is not limited to this configuration. As shown in FIG. 5 , the laser body 21 may be configured such that the first and second electrodes E1 and E2 are provided on the same side of the base semiconductor portion 8 and do not overlap in a plan view (single-sided, double-electrode structure). In the laser body 21, the top surface of the base semiconductor portion 8 may be partially exposed, and the second electrode E2 may be provided so as to be in contact with the exposed base semiconductor portion 8. The second electrode E2 may be in contact with an n-type semiconductor portion (described later) in the compound semiconductor portion 9.

[0020] [Method for manufacturing laser element] Fig. 6 is a flowchart that schematically illustrates a method for manufacturing a laser element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view that schematically illustrates a method for manufacturing a laser element according to this embodiment. Fig. 8 is a perspective view that schematically illustrates a method for manufacturing a laser element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that in Figs. 7 and 8, for clarity of illustration, the structure of each part is simplified, and the thickness of the second semiconductor portion S2, the ridge portion RJ, etc. are exaggerated.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the manufacturing method of the laser element in this embodiment involves the following steps. First, a semiconductor substrate 10 is prepared. The semiconductor substrate 10 includes a base substrate BK, a first growth-inhibiting portion 5F and a second growth-inhibiting portion 5S adjacent to each other across an opening K, and a longitudinal first semiconductor portion S1 located above the opening K on the first growth-inhibiting portion 5F and the second growth-inhibiting portion 5S. A second semiconductor portion S2 including a ridge portion RJ located above the first growth-inhibiting portion 5F is then formed on the first semiconductor portion S1. A first stacked body LB1 including the first semiconductor portion S1 and the second semiconductor portion S2 is then scribed on the side where the ridge portion RJ is located. The first growth-inhibiting portion 5F and the second growth-inhibiting portion 5S may be a first mask portion and a second mask portion adjacent to each other across the opening K.

[0022] The base substrate BK includes a main substrate 1 and an underlying portion 4 formed on the main substrate 1. The growth control pattern 6 (e.g., a mask pattern) may be formed above the base substrate BK to have a plurality of longitudinal openings K extending in the Y direction (second direction). In this specification, when the first growth suppression portion 5F and the second growth suppression portion 5S are not distinguished, they may be collectively referred to as growth suppression portions 5. Furthermore, the base substrate BK and the growth control pattern 6 may be collectively referred to as the template substrate 7. The growth suppression portion 5 may be a mask portion, and the growth control pattern 6 may be a mask pattern including a mask portion (growth suppression portion 5) and openings K, but is not limited to this. The openings K are regions in the growth control pattern 6 where the growth suppression portions 5 are not present, and the openings K do not have to be surrounded by the growth suppression portions 5.

[0023] The base portion 4 of the base substrate BK includes a seed portion (not shown), and the first semiconductor portion S1 can be formed by the ELO method, starting from the seed portion exposed from the opening K. In this embodiment, the first semiconductor portions S1 may be formed so that the first semiconductor portions S1 grown from adjacent seed portions do not come into contact (meet) with each other on the growth inhibitory portion 5, and a gap (gap) GP is formed between the adjacent first semiconductor portions S1. The first semiconductor portion S1 may have an edge (side surface) E near the center of the growth inhibitory portion 5. In one example, multiple bar-shaped first semiconductor portions S1 may be formed by growing the first semiconductor portions S1 so that adjacent first semiconductor portions S1 come into contact (meet) with each other, and then removing the met portions.

[0024] When the first semiconductor portion S1 is formed using the ELO method, the template substrate 7 may have a growth-inhibiting region (e.g., a region that inhibits crystal growth in the Z direction) corresponding to the growth-inhibiting portion 5, and a seed region corresponding to the opening K. For example, the growth-inhibiting region and the seed region may be formed above the main substrate 1, and the first semiconductor portion S1 may be formed above the seed region and above the growth-inhibiting region using the ELO method.

[0025] The laminate LB has a first semiconductor portion S1 and a second semiconductor portion S2 including a ridge portion RJ. In the manufacturing method of a laser element in this embodiment, the first growth suppression portion 5F and the second growth suppression portion 5S are aligned in the X direction (first direction), and are adjacent to the first laminate LB1 in the first direction to form a second laminate LB2 having a ridge portion RJ. In this specification, when there is no need to distinguish between the first laminate LB1 and the second laminate LB2, they may be collectively referred to as the laminate LB.

[0026] The first semiconductor portion S1 and the second semiconductor portion S2 may include a nitride semiconductor (for example, a GaN-based semiconductor). The base semiconductor portion 8 and the compound semiconductor portion 9 in the laser body 21 of the present embodiment described above are formed by cleaving the laminated body LB to separate the first semiconductor portion S1 and the second semiconductor portion S2.

[0027] The first semiconductor portion S1 may have a dislocation inheritance portion HD located above the opening K, and a low-defect portion SD located above the growth suppression portion 5. In the first semiconductor portion S1, the low-defect portion SD may have a lower threading dislocation density than the dislocation inheritance portion HD. The low-defect portion SD corresponds to the first portion B1 and the second portion B2 described above, and the dislocation inheritance portion HD corresponds to the third portion B3 described above.

[0028] Even if the main substrate 1 included in the template substrate 7 is a heterogeneous substrate (a substrate with a different lattice constant from that of the first semiconductor portion S1), a low-defect portion SD with a low threading dislocation density can be formed on the growth-inhibited portion 5. The threading dislocations can be observed by, for example, performing CL (Cathode Luminescence) measurement on the surfaces (c-planes) of the first semiconductor portion S1 and the second semiconductor portion S2 or cross sections parallel to the surfaces.

[0029] Because there are few surface defects in the low defect portion SD of the first semiconductor portion S1, the portion of the second semiconductor portion S2 that overlaps with the low defect portion SD in plan view can have fewer dislocations (defects) inherited from the low defect portion SD to the second semiconductor portion S2. An optical resonator LK can be formed in that portion, and in this case, the possibility of performance degradation of the optical resonator LK due to the influence of threading dislocations can be reduced, thereby increasing the light emission efficiency of the laser element.

[0030] In the method for manufacturing a laser element according to this embodiment, scribing is performed on the portion of the laminate LB on the side where the ridge portion RJ is located on the base substrate BK. This cleaves the laminate LB without dividing the base substrate BK, and divides the laminate LB into a plurality of laser bodies 21. Each laser body 21 has a pair of cavity facets F1 and F2 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0031] Scribing of the laminate LB may be performed by applying a mechanical external force to the laminate LB, for example, using a diamond scriber. The specific scribing method is not particularly limited as long as it is possible to cleave the laminate LB and form the cavity facets F1 and F2. Scribing of the laminate LB may be performed by locally applying heat to the laminate LB, for example, using a laser scriber.

[0032] 7 and 8 show an example of scribing the laminate LB with a scribe tool 90, with the trajectory of the tip of the scribe tool 90 shown imaginarily by a dashed line. The bottom diagrams in each of Fig. 7 and 8 show the state after scribing the second laminate LB2 and the first laminate LB1. The bottom diagram in Fig. 7 is a side view schematically showing the end face of the laser body 21 after cleavage.

[0033] The inventors have found that the following phenomenon occurs when scribing the stacked body LB to cleave it. Specifically, when cleavage of the first semiconductor portion S1 and the second semiconductor portion S2, each containing a nitride semiconductor, begins at the scribed portion (cleavage starting point) and proceeds in the X direction, it passes through the dislocation inherited portion HD in the first semiconductor portion S1. This can result in damaged portions DP, which have scratches, at the end face of the laser body 21 in the dislocation inherited portion HD and the low-defect portion SD farther from the scribe mark M, as well as in the compound semiconductor portion 9 above them. If the damaged portions DP overlap the resonator end faces F1 and F2 of the optical resonator LK, the light-emitting efficiency of the optical resonator LK can be reduced.

[0034] Furthermore, when a first semiconductor portion S1 including a nitride semiconductor is formed on a heterogeneous substrate such as a Si substrate by the ELO method, internal stress is generated in the first semiconductor portion S1. When such a laminate LB is scribing, the internal stress in the first semiconductor portion S1 is released, generating tensile strain at the cleavage starting point, which causes spontaneous cleavage. In this case, damaged portions DP are more likely to occur.

[0035] In contrast, no damaged portion DP due to the influence of the dislocation inheritance portion HD occurs on the scribed side (the side having the scribe mark M that became the cleavage initiation point) of the end face of the laser body 21. Therefore, by positioning the ridge portion RJ on the scribed side of the laser body 21, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the light emission efficiency of the optical resonator LK will decrease due to the influence of the properties of the resonator end faces F1 and F2.

[0036] Furthermore, based on the above-mentioned findings, in another example of the method for manufacturing a laser element in this embodiment, scribing may be performed on the laminate LB having the first semiconductor portion S1 and the second semiconductor portion S2 before forming the ridge portion RJ in the compound semiconductor portion 9, and in this case, the ridge portion RJ can be formed on the scribed side.

[0037] Scribing of the laminate LB may be performed on either the second semiconductor portion S2 or the first semiconductor portion S1 as long as it can cleave the laminate LB. The shape of the trajectory of the scribe tool 90 is not particularly limited, but the operation of the scribe tool 90 may be set in accordance with the size of the gap GP formed between the multiple first semiconductor portions S1. Furthermore, depending on the position of the ridge portion RJ, a convex portion may be formed to scribe the laminate LB without damaging the ridge portion RJ. Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the examples below.

[0038] Example 1 An example of the present disclosure will be described in detail below. In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding of the manufacturing method of the laser element in Example 1, first, the configuration of the laser body included in the laser element in Example 1 and the configuration of the laser element in which the laser body is mounted on a support will be described.

[0039] (laser body) Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the laser body in Example 1. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the laser body in Example 1. Figs. 9 and 10 will also be referred to as appropriate in the description of the manufacturing method of the laser element described below.

[0040] 9 and 10, the laser body 21 in Example 1 includes a base semiconductor portion 8, a compound semiconductor portion 9 located on the base semiconductor portion 8 and including an optical resonator LK having an active portion 9K, a first electrode E1 serving as an anode, and a second electrode E2 serving as a cathode. The laser body 21 can also be called a semiconductor laser chip.

[0041] The base semiconductor portion 8 and the compound semiconductor portion 9 may be nitride semiconductor layers (for example, GaN-based semiconductor layers), and the base semiconductor portion 8 may be an n-type semiconductor layer containing donors. In FIG. 9 and other figures, the X direction is the <11-20> direction (a-axis direction) of the nitride semiconductor crystal (wurtzite structure), the Y direction is the <1-100> direction (m-axis direction) of the nitride semiconductor crystal, and the Z direction is the <11-20> direction (m-axis direction) of the nitride semiconductor crystal. <0001> direction (c-axis direction).

[0042] The base semiconductor portion 8 includes a third portion B3 having threading dislocations KD extending in the thickness direction (Z direction), and a first portion B1 and a second portion B2 having a lower density of threading dislocations KD (threading dislocation density) than the third portion B3. The first portion B1, the third portion B3, and the second portion B2 are aligned in this order in the X direction, and the third portion B3 is located between the first portion B1 and the second portion B2. The third portion B3 is a portion that was located over an opening K in a growth control pattern 6 (e.g., a mask pattern) when the first semiconductor portion S1 was formed by the ELO method (described later).

[0043] The compound semiconductor section 9 is formed by forming an n-type semiconductor section 9N having a donor, an active section 9K, and a p-type semiconductor section 9P having an acceptor, in this order. The n-type semiconductor section 9N is formed by forming a first contact section 9A, a first cladding section 9B, and a first optical guide section 9C, in this order. The p-type semiconductor section 9P is formed by forming a second optical guide section 9D, an electron blocking section 9E, a second cladding section 9F, and a second contact section 9G, in this order, and a first electrode E1 (anode) is formed on the second contact section 9G. The active section 9K, as well as each section included in the n-type semiconductor section 9N and each section included in the p-type semiconductor section 9P, may each have a layered shape (for example, the active section 9K may be an active layer). Note that in the compound semiconductor section 9, the second optical guide section 9D and the electron blocking section 9E may be arranged interchangeably in the p-type semiconductor section 9P. For example, the p-type semiconductor portion 9P may be configured by forming an electron blocking portion 9E, a second optical guiding portion 9D, a second cladding portion 9F, and a second contact portion 9G in this order.

[0044] In the first embodiment, the second electrode E2 is provided on a different side of the first semiconductor portion S1 from the first electrode E1 (the back surface of the base semiconductor portion 8), and the first and second electrodes E1 and E2 overlap in a plan view.

[0045] The compound semiconductor section 9 has an optical resonator LK including a pair of resonator facets F1 and F2. The resonator length L1, which is the distance between the pair of resonator facets F1 and F2, may be 200 μm or less, 150 μm or less, or 100 μm or less. The lower limit of the resonator length L1 is not particularly limited as long as the optical resonator LK can function, and may be, for example, 50 μm. The base semiconductor section 8 and the compound semiconductor section 9 include GaN-based semiconductors, and the compound semiconductor section 9 includes resonator facets F1 and F2, which are m-planes of a GaN-based semiconductor crystal.

[0046] Each of the cavity facets F1 and F2 is covered with a reflector film UF (e.g., a dielectric film), and the optical reflectivity of the cavity facet F1 on the light-emitting surface side may be 98% or higher. The optical reflectivity of the cavity facet F2 on the light-reflecting surface side is higher than that of the cavity facet F1. Although not shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the reflector film UF can be formed on the entire cleavage planes (m-planes) of the base semiconductor portion 8 and the compound semiconductor portion 9.

[0047] The first electrode E1 overlaps with the optical resonator LK in plan view, and also overlaps with the first portion B1 of the base semiconductor portion 8. The first electrode E1 has a shape whose longitudinal direction is the direction of the resonator length (Y direction). The length of the first electrode E1 in the Y direction may be shorter than the resonator length L1, in which case the first electrode E1 does not interfere with cleavage of the laminate LB.

[0048] The optical resonator LK includes a portion (portion overlapping with the first electrode E1 in plan view) of each of the n-type semiconductor portion 9N, the active portion 9K, and the p-type semiconductor portion 9P. For example, the optical resonator LK includes a portion (portion overlapping with the first electrode E1 in plan view) of each of the first cladding portion 9B, the first optical guiding portion 9C, the active portion 9K, the second optical guiding portion 9D, the electron blocking portion 9E, and the second cladding portion 9F.

[0049] In the optical resonator LK, the refractive index (optical refractive index) decreases in the order of the active portion 9K, the first optical guide portion 9C, and the first cladding portion 9B, and also decreases in the order of the active portion 9K, the second optical guide portion 9D, and the second cladding portion 9F. Therefore, light generated by the combination of holes supplied from the first electrode E1 and electrons supplied from the second electrode E2 in the active portion 9K is confined within the optical resonator LK (particularly the active portion 9K), and laser oscillation occurs due to stimulated emission and feedback in the active portion 9K. The laser light generated by laser oscillation is emitted from a light emission region EA on the emission surface side of the resonator end face F1.

[0050] Because the cavity facets F1 and F2 are formed by m-plane cleavage, they have excellent flatness and perpendicularity to the c-plane (parallelism of the cavity facets F1 and F2), resulting in high optical reflectivity. This reduces reflection loss, enabling stable laser oscillation even at short cavity lengths of 200 μm or less, where optical gain becomes small. Because the cavity facets F1 and F2 are formed on the first portion B1, which is a low-defect region SD, the cleavage facets have excellent flatness, resulting in high optical reflectivity.

[0051] The compound semiconductor portion 9 has a ridge portion RJ located above the first portion B1 and overlapping with the first electrode E1 in a plan view. The ridge portion RJ may include a second cladding portion 9F and a second contact portion 9G. The laser body 21 has a scribe mark M1 corresponding to a cleavage starting point generated by scribing in a portion on the side where the ridge portion RJ is located in the X direction. The laser body 21 may have the scribe mark M1 in the compound semiconductor portion 9. The laser body 21 may have a damaged portion DP on its end face, and may have a secondary scribe mark M2 in a portion on the opposite side in the X direction from the side where the ridge portion RJ is located. The secondary scribe mark M2 will be described later in conjunction with the description of the manufacturing method for the laser element.

[0052] The ridge portion RJ has a shape with its longitudinal direction in the Y direction, and an insulating film DF is provided to cover the side surfaces of the ridge portion RJ. The insulating film DF may cover the upper surface of the p-type semiconductor portion 9P except for the contact portion between the first electrode E1 and the ridge portion RJ. Both ends of the first electrode E1 in the X direction may overlap with the insulating film DF in a plan view. The refractive index of the insulating film DF is smaller than the refractive indexes of the second optical guiding portion 9D and the second cladding portion 9F. By providing the ridge portion RJ and the insulating film DF, the current path between the first electrode E1 and the base semiconductor portion 8 is narrowed on the anode side, allowing efficient light emission within the resonator LK.

[0053] The ridge portion RJ overlaps with the first portion B1 (low-defect portion) of the base semiconductor portion 8 in plan view, but does not overlap with the third portion B3. In this way, the current path from the first electrode E1 through the compound semiconductor portion 9 and the base semiconductor portion 8 to the second electrode E2 is formed in the portion overlapping with the first portion B1 in plan view (a portion with few threading dislocations), and the light emission efficiency of the active portion 9K is improved. This is because threading dislocations act as non-radiative recombination centers. Furthermore, because the second electrode E2 overlaps with the third portion B3 (low-dislocation portion) of the base semiconductor portion 8 in plan view, the efficiency of electron injection from the second electrode E2 to the base semiconductor portion 8 is improved.

[0054] In the first embodiment, the sum T1 of the thickness of the base semiconductor portion 8 and the thickness of the compound semiconductor portion 9 can be 50 μm or less. If this sum T1 of thicknesses is too large, it becomes difficult to cleave the base semiconductor portion 8 so that the cavity length L1 is 200 μm or less. The ratio of the cavity length L1 to the thickness of the first portion B1 of the base semiconductor portion 8 can be 1 to 20. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the direction of the cavity length L1 is defined as the first direction (X direction), and the size of the first portion B1 in the X direction is defined as the width W1 of the first portion B1. The ratio of the cavity length L1 to the width W1 of the first portion B1 can be 1 to 10. Furthermore, the size of the third portion B3 in the X direction is defined as the width W3 of the third portion B3. The ratio of the cavity length L1 to the width W3 of the third portion B3 can be 1 to 200.

[0055] (laser element) 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a laser element in Example 1. A laser element (semiconductor laser element) 23 includes a laser body 21 including a base semiconductor portion 8 and a compound semiconductor portion 9, and a support body ST that holds the laser body 21. Examples of materials for the support body ST include Si, SiC, and AlN. A second electrode E2 is located on the back surface of the base semiconductor portion 8, and the compound semiconductor portion 9 and the first electrode E1 are closer to the support body ST than the base semiconductor portion 8 (junction-down type).

[0056] The support ST (e.g., a submount) includes a conductive first pad P1 and a conductive second pad P2, and the first electrode E1 is connected to the first pad P1 via a first junction A1. The laser element 23 may be formed with an insulating film D1 covering the side surfaces of the first semiconductor portion S1 and the second semiconductor portion S2 farther from the ridge portion RJ, and a conductive film MF. The conductive film MF electrically connects the second electrode E2 to the second junction A2 or the second pad P2. The material of the conductive film MF is not particularly limited. The conductive film MF may be in contact with at least either the insulating film D1 or the second junction A2. The second electrode E2 is connected to the second pad P2 via the conductive film MF.

[0057] The insulating film DF and the second pad portion P2 may be bonded to each other via a second bonding portion A2, in which case the stability of the state in which the laser body 21 is supported by the support body ST can be improved.

[0058] The second bonding portion A2 is thicker than the first bonding portion A1. This allows the first and second electrodes E1 and E2 to be connected to the first and second pads P1 and P2, which are located on the same plane. The laser element 23 functions as a COS (Chip on Submount).

[0059] An example of the support ST in the laser element 23 will be described below with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the laser element in Example 1. Fig. 12 shows the X1Y1Z1 axes related to the support ST, and the X1Y1Z1 axes shown in Fig. 12 are inverted on the positive Z-axis side with respect to the XYZ axes shown in Fig. 1 etc.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 12, the laser element 23 includes a laser body 21 and a support member ST. The support member ST has, for example, two wide portions SH having a width greater than the cavity length L1 of the laser body 21, and a mounting portion SB located between the two wide portions SH and having a width smaller than the cavity length L1. The laser body 21 is located above the mounting portion SB so that the width direction (Y1 direction) of the mounting portion SB coincides with the direction of the cavity length L1, and a pair of cavity end faces F1 and F2 protrude from the mounting portion SB in a planar view. In other words, the mounting portion SB is formed between two cutout portions C1 and C2 facing each other in the direction defining the cavity length L1 (Y1 direction), with the cavity end face F1 located on the cutout portion C1 and the cavity end face F2 located on the cutout portion C2. The cutout portions C1 and C2 may have, for example, a rectangular shape in a planar view viewed in the Z1 direction. By providing cutouts C1 and C2 in the support ST and positioning the cavity end face F1 so that it extends beyond the mounting portion SB, the optical path of the laser light emitted from the cavity end face F1 can be prevented from overlapping with the light-shielding support ST.

[0061] The support ST includes a T-shaped first pad portion P1 and a second pad portion P2. The first pad portion P1 is located on the wide portion SH and includes a mounting portion J1 whose length in the Y1 direction is greater than the cavity length L1, and a contact portion Q1 located on the mounting portion SB and whose length in the Y1 direction is smaller than the cavity length L1. The second pad portion P2 is located on the wide portion SH and includes a mounting portion J2 whose length in the Y1 direction is greater than the cavity length L1, and a contact portion Q2 located on the mounting portion SB and whose length in the Y1 direction is smaller than the cavity length L1. The contact portions Q1 and Q2 are aligned in the X1 direction on the upper surface of the mounting portion SB. A first bonding portion A1 is formed on the contact portion Q1, and a second bonding portion A2 is formed on the contact portion Q2. The first bonding portion A1 is in contact with the first electrode E1 of the laser body 21. The second electrode E2 of the laser body 21 is in contact with the second bonding portion A2 or the contact portion Q2 via a conductive film MF. The first and second bonding portions A1 and A2 may be made of solder such as AuSi or AuSn.

[0062] (Laser element manufacturing method) Fig. 13 is a flowchart that schematically shows a method for manufacturing a laser element in Example 1. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view that schematically shows a method for manufacturing a laser element in Example 1. Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view that shows an example of the configuration of a template substrate. In Fig. 14, the thickness of the second semiconductor portion S2, the ridge portion RJ, etc. are exaggerated.

[0063] (template substrate) In the manufacturing method of the laser device of Example 1, first, a template substrate 7 is prepared as shown in Figures 13 and 14. The template substrate 7 has a base substrate BK and a growth control pattern 6 (e.g., a mask pattern) located above the base substrate BK.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 15 , the template substrate 7 may have a configuration in which a seed portion 3 and a growth control pattern 6 (e.g., a mask pattern) are formed in this order on a main substrate 1, or a configuration in which a multilayered base portion 4 (including a buffer portion 2 and a seed portion 3) and a growth control pattern 6 (e.g., a mask pattern) are formed in this order on a main substrate 1. The seed portion 3 may be formed locally (e.g., in a stripe pattern) so as to overlap with an opening K of the growth control pattern 6 (e.g., a mask pattern) in a plan view. The seed portion 3 may include a nitride semiconductor formed at a low temperature of 600°C or less. This can reduce warping of the semiconductor substrate 10 (the template substrate 7 and the first semiconductor portion S1) due to stress from the seed portion 3. The seed portion 3 can also be formed using a sputtering device (e.g., pulse sputter deposition (PSD), pulse laser deposition (PLD), etc.). Using a sputtering device has advantages such as low-temperature film formation, large-area film formation, and cost reduction. As shown in FIG. 15, the template substrate 7 may have a configuration in which a growth control pattern 6 (for example, a mask pattern) is formed on a main substrate 1 (for example, a SiC bulk crystal substrate or a GaN bulk crystal substrate).

[0065] As described above, the base substrate BK may include at least the main substrate 1. The main substrate 1 may be a heterogeneous substrate having a lattice constant different from that of a GaN-based semiconductor. Examples of heterogeneous substrates include a single-crystal silicon (Si) substrate, a sapphire (Al2O3) substrate, and a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate. The surface orientation of the main substrate 1 may be, for example, the (111) surface of a silicon substrate, the (0001) surface of a sapphire substrate, or the 6H-SiC (0001) surface of a SiC substrate. These are merely examples, and any main substrate and surface orientation may be used as long as it allows the first semiconductor portion S1 to be grown by the ELO method. The main substrate 1 may also be a SiC (bulk crystal) substrate, a GaN (bulk crystal) substrate, or an AlN (bulk crystal) substrate.

[0066] As the base portion 4 in FIG. 15 , a buffer portion 2 and a seed portion 3 can be provided in this order from the main substrate 1 side. For example, if a silicon substrate is used for the main substrate 1 and a GaN-based semiconductor is used for the seed portion 3, the two (main substrate and seed portion) will fuse together. Therefore, providing a buffer portion 2 including at least one of an AlN layer and a SiC (silicon carbide) layer reduces the possibility of the main substrate 1 and seed portion 3 fusing together. The buffer portion 2 may have at least one of the effects of increasing the crystallinity of the seed portion 3 and alleviating the internal stress of the first semiconductor portion S1. If a main substrate 1 that does not fuse together with the seed portion 3 is used, a configuration without providing a buffer portion 2 is also possible. Note that the configuration in FIG. 15 is not limited to one in which the seed portion 3 overlaps the entire growth-inhibiting portion 5. Since the seed portion 3 only needs to be exposed from the opening K, the seed portion 3 may be formed locally so as not to overlap part or all of the growth-inhibiting portion 5.

[0067] In a template substrate in which the growth control pattern 6 is a mask pattern and the growth suppression portion 5 is a mask portion, the opening K functions as a growth initiation hole that exposes the seed portion 3 and starts the growth of the first semiconductor portion S1, and the mask portion functions as a selective growth mask that causes the first semiconductor portion S1 to grow laterally.

[0068] The growth suppression portion 5 (mask portion) may be, for example, a single layer film including one of a silicon oxide film (SiOx), a titanium nitride film (TiN, etc.), a silicon nitride film (SiNx), a silicon oxynitride film (SiON), and a metal film having a high melting point (e.g., 1000°C or higher), or a laminated film including at least two of these.

[0069] For example, a silicon oxide film having a thickness of about 100 nm to 4 μm (preferably about 150 nm to 2 μm) is formed on the entire surface of the seed portion 3 using a sputtering method, and a resist is applied to the entire surface of the silicon oxide film. Thereafter, the resist is patterned using a photolithography method to form a resist having a plurality of stripe-shaped openings. Thereafter, a portion of the silicon oxide film is removed using a wet etchant such as hydrofluoric acid (HF) or buffered hydrofluoric acid (BHF) to form a plurality of openings K, and the resist is removed by organic cleaning to form the growth suppression portion 5 (mask portion). As another example, a silicon nitride film may be formed using a sputtering device or a PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) device, etc. Although the silicon nitride film is thinner than the silicon oxide film, it can withstand the film formation temperature (about 1000° C.) of the base semiconductor portion 8. The thickness of the silicon nitride film can be set to about 5 nm to 4 μm.

[0070] The longitudinal (slit-shaped) openings K can be arranged periodically in the X direction. The width of the openings K may be approximately 0.1 μm to 20 μm. The smaller the width of the openings K, the fewer the number of threading dislocations that propagate from the openings K to the first semiconductor portion S1. Furthermore, the smaller the width of the openings K, the larger the width (size in the X direction) of the first portion B1 and the second portion B2 (low defect portion SD).

[0071] While a small amount of silicon oxide film may decompose and evaporate during the formation of the first semiconductor portion S1 and be incorporated into the first semiconductor portion S1, silicon nitride film and silicon oxynitride film have the advantage of being less susceptible to decomposition and evaporation at high temperatures. Therefore, the growth suppression portion 5 (mask portion) may be a single-layer film of silicon nitride film or silicon oxynitride film. The growth suppression portion 5 (mask portion) may be a laminated film in which a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film are formed in this order on the seed portion 3. The growth suppression portion 5 (mask portion) may be a laminated film in which a silicon nitride film and a silicon oxide film are formed in this order on the seed portion 3. The growth suppression portion 5 (mask portion) may be a laminated film in which a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxide film, and a silicon nitride film are formed in this order on the base portion 4. Furthermore, the oxygen and nitrogen compositions of SiON may be controlled to form a desired oxynitride film.

[0072] Pinholes and other abnormalities in the growth suppression portion 5 (mask portion) can be eliminated by performing organic cleaning after film formation, then re-introducing the film into the film formation equipment to form a film of the same type. Using a general silicon oxide film (single layer), such a re-film formation method can also be used to form a high-quality growth suppression portion 5 (mask portion).

[0073] In Example 1, as an example of the template substrate 7, a silicon substrate (for example, a 2-inch Si substrate) having a (111) surface is used as the main substrate 1, an AlN layer (about 30 nm to 300 nm, for example, 150 nm) is used as the buffer portion 2, a GaN-based graded layer is used as the seed portion 3, and a layered mask in which a silicon oxide film (SiO2) and a silicon nitride film (SiN) are formed in this order can be used as the growth suppression portion 5 (mask portion). The GaN-based graded layer is made up of a first layer, Al 0.6 Ga 0.4The opening K may include an N layer (e.g., 300 nm) and a second GaN layer (e.g., 1 to 2 μm). The growth suppression portion 5 (mask portion) may be formed by depositing a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film using a CVD (plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition) method, with the silicon oxide film having a thickness of e.g., 0.3 μm and the silicon nitride film having a thickness of e.g., 70 nm. The width (size in the X direction) of the growth suppression portion 5 may be 50 μm, and the width (size in the X direction) of the opening K may be 5 μm.

[0074] (First Semiconductor Division) Next, the first semiconductor portion S1 is formed on the template substrate 7 by using the ELO method. In the first embodiment, the first semiconductor portion S1 is a GaN layer, and a gallium nitride (GaN) layer is deposited on the template substrate 7 by using an MOCVD (Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus. ELO film formation was performed. Examples of ELO film formation conditions include substrate temperature: 1120°C, growth pressure: 50 kPa, TMG (trimethylgallium): 22 sccm, NH3: 15 slm, and V / III = 6000 (ratio of the supply amount of group V raw material to the supply amount of group III raw material).

[0075] In this case, the first semiconductor portion S1 is selectively grown (grown vertically) on the seed portion 3 exposed in the opening K, and then grows laterally on the growth-inhibiting portion 5. Then, the lateral growth of the GaN crystal films growing laterally from both sides of the growth-inhibiting portion 5 is stopped before they meet. In Example 1, a plurality of first semiconductor portions S1 are formed by stopping the growth of semiconductor crystals (e.g., GaN-based crystals) growing close to each other on the growth-inhibiting portion 5 before they meet. As a result, a gap GP is formed between the first semiconductor portions S1 adjacent in the X direction. The X direction is the <11-20> direction (a-axis direction) of the GaN-based crystal, the Y direction is the <1-100> direction (m-axis direction) of the GaN-based crystal, and the Z direction is the <11-20> direction (m-axis direction) of the GaN-based crystal. <0001> It may be in the direction (c-axis direction).

[0076] In the formation of the first semiconductor portion S1 in Example 1, a vertically grown layer growing in the Z direction (c-axis direction) is formed on the seed portion 3 exposed from the opening K, and then a laterally grown layer growing in the X direction (a-axis direction) is formed. In this case, by setting the thickness of the vertically grown layer to 10 μm or less, 5 μm or less, or 3 μm or less, the thickness of the laterally grown layer can be kept low, and the lateral film formation rate can be increased.

[0077] The threading dislocation density of the low defect portion SD (first portion B1 or second portion B2) is 1 / 5 or less (for example, 5 × 10 6 / cm 2 The threading dislocation density here can be determined, for example, by measuring the CL of the surface of the first semiconductor portion S1 (for example, by counting the number of black spots). The dislocation density is expressed as [number / cm 2 In this specification, the unit "pieces" is omitted and it is expressed as [ / cm 2 ]. The density of basal plane dislocations in the low defect area SD (first part B1 or second part B2) is 5 × 10 8 / cm 2 or less. The basal plane dislocations may be dislocations extending in the in-plane direction of the c-plane (XY plane) of the first semiconductor portion S1. The basal plane dislocation density here can be obtained, for example, by dividing the first semiconductor portion S1 to expose the side surface of the low defect portion SD and measuring the dislocation density of this side surface by CL.

[0078] The width (size in the X direction) of the first semiconductor portion S1 was 53 μm, the width (size in the X direction) of the first portion B1 (or second portion B2) which was the low-defect portion SD was 24 μm, and the layer thickness (size in the Z direction) of the first semiconductor portion S1 was 5 μm. The aspect ratio of the first semiconductor portion S1 was 53 μm / 5 μm=10.6, which is a very high aspect ratio. The width of the growth suppression portion 5 can be set according to the specifications of the compound semiconductor portion 9, etc. (for example, approximately 10 μm to 200 μm). In Example 1, adjacent first semiconductor portions S1 do not meet, and multiple bar-shaped first semiconductor portions S1 are formed side by side in the X direction on the template substrate 7. The width (size in the X direction) of the gap GP may vary depending on the inclination of the side surface (see FIG. 24), which will be described later, but was, for example, approximately 5 μm.

[0079] Thus, in Example 1, a semiconductor substrate 10 is prepared, which includes a base substrate BK, a first growth-inhibiting portion 5F and a second growth-inhibiting portion 5S adjacent to each other with an opening K therebetween, and an elongated first semiconductor portion S1 located on the first growth-inhibiting portion 5F and the second growth-inhibiting portion 5S from the opening K. The first semiconductor portion S1 may include a GaN-based semiconductor, and the first growth-inhibiting portion 5F and the second growth-inhibiting portion 5S may be aligned in the X direction (the <11-20> direction of the GaN-based semiconductor).

[0080] (Second Semiconductor Division) The second semiconductor portion S2 can be formed by, for example, MOCVD. The first contact portion 9A can be, for example, an n-type GaN layer, the first cladding portion 9B can be, for example, an n-type AlGaN layer, the first optical guide portion 9C can be, for example, an n-type GaN layer, the active portion 9K can be, for example, an MQW (Multi-Quantum Well) structure including an InGaN layer, the electron blocking portion 9E can be, for example, a p-type AlGaN layer, the second optical guide portion 9D can be, for example, a p-type GaN layer, the second cladding portion 9F can be, for example, a p-type AlGaN layer, and the second contact portion 9G can be, for example, a p-type GaN layer.

[0081] A regrowth portion (for example, a buffer layer including an n-type GaN-based semiconductor) may be formed on the first semiconductor portion S1, and a second semiconductor portion S2 may be formed on the regrowth portion. The n-type semiconductor portion 9N may be formed from the regrowth portion, and an active portion 9K and a p-type semiconductor portion 9P may be formed on the regrowth portion as the second semiconductor portion S2. The regrowth portion can be formed by, for example, an MOCVD method.

[0082] The thickness of each layer of the laser body 21 can be in the order of first semiconductor portion S1>first cladding portion 9B>first optical guide portion 9C>active portion 9K, and first semiconductor portion S1>second cladding portion 9F>second optical guide portion 9D>active portion 9K.

[0083] (Laminate) In the manufacturing method of the laser element of Example 1, a ridge stripe structure, i.e., a ridge portion RJ, is then formed using photolithography, and then an insulating film DF is formed (the insulating film DF is not shown in FIG. 14). A first electrode E1 is formed on the second contact portion 9G of the ridge portion RJ. This makes it possible to form a semiconductor substrate 10 having a plurality of bar-shaped laminated bodies LB. The ridge portion RJ is located above the active portion 9K. The ridge portion RJ may be ridge-shaped extending in the longitudinal direction of the first semiconductor portion S1.

[0084] The first electrode E1 (anode) may be a single-layer film or a multi-layer film containing at least one of a metal film (which may be an alloy film) containing at least one of Ni, Rh, Pd, Cr, Au, W, Pt, Ti, and Al, and a conductive oxide film containing at least one of Zn, In, and Sn. The insulating film DF covering the ridge portion RJ may be a single-layer film or a multi-layer film containing, for example, an oxide or nitride of Si, Al, Zr, Ti, Nb, or Ta.

[0085] The first electrode E1 may include a p-contact electrode and a p-pad electrode. The p-contact electrode may be, for example, a 50-nm-thick Pd film. The p-pad electrode may be, for example, a multilayer film formed in this order with a 100-nm-thick Ti film, a 200-nm-thick Ni film, and a 100-nm-thick Au film.

[0086] The refractive index of the insulating film DF is smaller than the refractive index of the second optical guide portion 9D and the second cladding portion 9F. By providing the ridge portion RJ and the insulating film DF, the current path between the first electrode E1 and the first semiconductor portion S1 is narrowed on the anode side, allowing efficient light emission within the resonator LK.

[0087] (laser body) In the manufacturing method of the laser element of Example 1, next, the stacked body LB is scribed on the template substrate 7. As a result, the stacked body LB is cleaved (m-plane cleavage of the first and second semiconductor portions S1 and S2, which are nitride semiconductor layers), and a laser body 21 having a pair of cavity facets F1 and F2 is formed.

[0088] When the laminate LB is bar-shaped, it is cleaved in the direction (X direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the laminate LB. The end faces created by cleavage can be used as cavity end faces F1 and F2, and the multiple pieces obtained by dividing the laminate LB can be used as laser bodies 21.

[0089] Before scribing, multiple first electrodes E1 may be formed on the ridge portion RJ so as to be aligned in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the first semiconductor portion S1, and the cleavage planes created by scribing may not intersect with the first electrodes E1.

[0090] In Example 1, the laminate LB is scribinged by a diamond scriber. The scribe tool 90 in the diamond scriber has, for example, a needle shape, and the portion that comes into contact with the object to be scribed is made of diamond.

[0091] The third diagram from the top in Fig. 14 shows the state after scribing the second laminate LB2 and the first laminate LB1. The third diagram from the top and subsequent diagrams in Fig. 14 are side views showing the end faces of the laser body 21 formed by cleaving the laminate LB.

[0092] In Example 1, scribing the laminate LB1 may cause natural cleavage of the first laminate LB1. Also, the first laminate LB1 is cleaved on the base substrate BK without dividing the base substrate BK. Generally, after a cleavage starting point is formed by scribing, cleavage may be induced from the cleavage starting point by applying stress, but in Example 1, cleavage of the laminate LB can be caused to proceed naturally. "Natural cleavage caused by scribing" means that scribing and cleavage occur at the same or nearly the same time (spontaneous cleavage occurs in conjunction with scribing).

[0093] The first semiconductor portion S1 includes a GaN-based semiconductor, and the base substrate BK includes a main substrate 1 (for example, a Si substrate) made of a material with a smaller thermal expansion coefficient than the GaN-based semiconductor.

[0094] When the first semiconductor portion S1 is formed on a heterogeneous substrate such as a Si substrate by the ELO method, the film formation temperature is high, for example, 1000°C or higher, and when the temperature is lowered to room temperature after film formation, internal stress is generated in the first semiconductor portion S1. This internal stress is caused by the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the main substrate 1 and the first semiconductor portion S1.

[0095] If the thermal expansion coefficient of the main substrate 1 is smaller than that of the first semiconductor portion S1, tensile stress occurs in the first semiconductor portion S1. For example, if the main substrate 1 is a Si substrate and the first semiconductor portion S1 is made of GaN, tensile stress occurs in the first semiconductor portion S1. Furthermore, internal stress can also occur in the first semiconductor portion S1 due to strain generated in the first semiconductor portion S1 due to the difference in lattice constant between the main substrate 1 and the base semiconductor portion 8. When such a laminate LB is scribed, the internal stress in the first semiconductor portion S1 is released, generating tensile strain at the cleavage initiation point, causing spontaneous cleavage.

[0096] In Example 1, the scribe tool 90 may be inserted from the side surface BS1, which is closer to the ridge portion RJ, of the two side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the first laminate LB1. Alternatively, scribing may be performed by having the scribe tool 90 emerge from the top surface of the first laminate LB1. The position at which the scribe tool 90 emerges from the top surface of the first laminate LB1 may be located outside the ridge portion RJ. Alternatively, the position at which the scribe tool 90 emerges from the top surface of the first laminate LB1 may be 3 μm or less from the side surface BS1 closer to the ridge portion RJ. This reduces the possibility of the scribe tool 90 coming into contact with the ridge portion RJ and damaging the ridge portion RJ.

[0097] The second semiconductor portion S2 includes a nitride semiconductor, and the direction of the force applied to the second semiconductor portion S2 by the scribe tool 90 can be parallel to the m-plane of the second semiconductor portion S2 (the m-plane of the nitride semiconductor crystal in the second semiconductor portion S2).

[0098] In Example 1, the second laminate LB2 is scribed using the scribe tool 90, and then the first laminate LB1 is scribed. A damaged portion DP is formed on the end surface of the laser body 21 formed by cleaving the first laminate LB1 and the laminate LB2. In the damaged portion DP, the second portion B2 may have, for example, a linear scratch extending from the third portion B3 (see FIG. 10).

[0099] The second laminate LB2 may be formed at a distance of 5 μm or more from the first laminate LB1. For example, the first semiconductor portion S1 may be formed with a gap GP of 5 μm or more. When the distance between the second laminate LB2 and the first laminate LB1 is narrow, even if the scribing tool 90 is set to trajectory so as to contact only the first laminate LB1 without contacting the second laminate LB2, depending on the performance of the scriber, the scribing tool 90 may inevitably contact the second laminate LB2. The trajectory of the scribing tool 90 may be set so that, when scribing the first laminate LB1, the scribing tool 90 contacts a damaged portion DP on the cleavage surface formed by cleaving the second laminate LB2. In this case, a scribe mark M1 is formed in the laser body 21 formed by cleaving the first laminate LB1, and a secondary scribe mark M2 is formed in the laser body 21 formed by cleaving the second laminate LB2. This makes it possible to prevent any influence on the optical resonator LK of the laser body 21 formed by cleaving the second laminate LB2.

[0100] 16A and 16B are cross-sectional views showing an example of a method for scribing and cleaving the laminated body LB1. In FIGS. 16A and 16B, because the thickness of the second semiconductor portion S2 is significantly thinner than that of the first semiconductor portion S1, the cross section of the laminated body LB1 is shown as a simple rectangle for clarity of explanation (the ridge portion RJ is not shown). In addition, the trajectory of the scribe tool 90 is shown by a dashed line.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 16A, the scribing of the laminate LB1 can be facilitated by setting the trajectory of the scribe tool 90 so that the tip of the scribe tool 90 enters the side surface of the laminate LB1 and exits the top surface of the laminate LB1. When the gap (gap GP) between the second laminate LB2 and the first laminate LB1 is, for example, 5 μm or more, the scribe tool 90 can be easily inserted into the side surface of the first laminate LB1. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16B, the laminate LB1 may be scribed by passing the scribe tool 90 over the top surface of the laminate LB1. In this case, the scribe tool 90 may pass over the top surface of the second semiconductor portion S2. Scribing of the laminate LB1 may be performed on the second semiconductor portion S2 or the first semiconductor portion S1.

[0102] (Transcript) 13 and 14 again, in the laser element manufacturing method of Example 1, the laser bodies 21 are then transferred from the semiconductor substrate 10 having the plurality of laser bodies 21 to the support substrate SK. For example, a selected portion of the plurality of laser bodies 21, such as every two or three laser bodies 21, may be transferred from the template substrate 7 to the support substrate SK so as to straddle the plurality of laser bodies 21.

[0103] In the first embodiment, after the laser body 21 is formed, the growth inhibitor 5 (e.g., a Si-based mask portion) may be removed by etching using hydrofluoric acid, buffered hydrofluoric acid (BHF), or the like. That is, the growth inhibitor 5 of the semiconductor substrate 10 may be removed before the laser body 21 is transferred to the support substrate SK. This makes it easier to separate the laser body 21 from the template substrate 7. The semiconductor substrate 10 has a gap GP, which partially exposes the growth inhibitor 5. Therefore, the growth inhibitor 5 can be easily etched.

[0104] The semiconductor substrate 10 may be divided into appropriate sizes by dicing or the like, for example, into pieces of 10 mm square. The support substrate SK may also be divided into appropriate sizes by dicing or the like, for example, into pieces of 10 mm square so that the support substrate SK has the same size as the divided semiconductor substrates 10.

[0105] The support substrate SK may have any structure as long as it is capable of transferring the laser body 21, and the specific structure thereof is not particularly limited. An example will be described below.

[0106] FIG. 17 is a perspective view that schematically shows the laser substrate 22 in a state where a plurality of laser bodies 21 are bonded to a support substrate SK.

[0107] 17, the laser substrate 22 includes a support substrate SK and a plurality of laser bodies 21. In the laser substrate 22, the plurality of laser bodies 21 are arranged in a matrix on the support substrate SK in a direction that defines the cavity length L1 (Y direction) and a direction perpendicular thereto (X direction) so that the directions of the cavity lengths L1 are aligned, and first and second pad portions P1 and P2 and first and second bonding portions A1 and A2 may be provided corresponding to each laser body 21.

[0108] After being transferred to the support substrate SK, a second electrode E2 may be formed on the laser body 21. The back surface of the laser body 21 (the back surface of the base semiconductor portion 8) may be polished.

[0109] The support substrate SK can be formed, for example, by providing a matrix of multiple recesses HL (rectangular in plan view) in a Si substrate, SiC substrate, etc., and providing multiple first pad portions P1, multiple second pad portions P2, multiple first bonding portions A1, and multiple second bonding portions A2 in the non-recessed portions.

[0110] (Formation of a reflective mirror film and division of the laser substrate) Next, a reflector film UF is formed on the cavity end faces F1 and F2 of the laser body 21. The reflector film UF is formed for reflectivity adjustment, passivation, etc. The reflector film UF may be formed using a two-dimensionally arranged laser substrate 22, or the laser substrate 22 may be cut into bars, and then the resulting bar-shaped laser substrates 22 may be used to form the reflector film UF.

[0111] 18 is a perspective view showing an example of a bar-shaped laser substrate 22 after division. The two-dimensionally arranged laser substrate 22 as shown in FIG. 17 can be divided horizontally (divided into rows extending in the X direction) to form one-dimensionally arranged (bar-shaped) laser substrates 22 as shown in FIG. 18. In this way, after the laser bodies 21 are transferred to the support substrate SK, the support substrate SK may be divided into a plurality of pieces. The one-dimensionally arranged type facilitates the formation of a reflector film UF on the pair of cavity end faces F1 and F2.

[0112] Next, the support substrate SK can be divided to form a laser element 23 (see FIG. 12) including the laser body 21 and the support ST.

[0113] (manufacturing equipment) FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a laser device manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 19, the laser device manufacturing method of the first embodiment can be realized by a laser device manufacturing apparatus 40 that executes each step. The laser device manufacturing apparatus 40 of the first embodiment may include an apparatus 40A that prepares a template substrate 7, an apparatus 40B that forms a first semiconductor portion S1, an apparatus 40C that forms a second semiconductor portion S2 having a ridge portion RJ, an apparatus 40D that forms a first electrode E1, an apparatus 40E that scribing the laminated body LB, an apparatus 40F that transfers the laser body 21 to a support substrate SK, an apparatus 40G that forms a reflector film UF on a pair of cavity end faces F1 and F2, and an apparatus 40H that controls the apparatuses 40A to 40G. The apparatuses 40B and 40C may be, for example, MOCVD apparatuses. The apparatus 40B may be used as the apparatus 40C. The apparatus 40D may be, for example, a sputtering apparatus. The apparatus 40E may include a photolithography apparatus. The apparatus 40H may include a processor and a memory. Device 40H may be configured to control at least one of devices 40A to 40G by executing a program stored in, for example, an internal memory, a communicable external device, or an accessible network, and this program, as well as a recording medium and an external device on which this program is stored, are also included in Example 1.

[0114] When a template substrate 7 that has been prepared in advance is used, the manufacturing apparatus 40 does not need to include the apparatus 40A. When a semiconductor substrate 10 on which the first semiconductor portion S1 has been formed in advance on the template substrate 7 is used, the manufacturing apparatus 40 does not need to include the apparatus 40A and the apparatus 40B.

[0115] [Variation 1] (1A) 20 is a side view schematically showing another example of the method for manufacturing the laser element in Example 1. In Example 1, the scribe tool 90 is moved in the direction from the second stack LB2 toward the first stack LB1 to scribe the second stack LB2 and the first stack LB1. In another example of Example 1, the scribe tool 90 may be moved in the direction from the first stack LB1 toward the second stack LB2.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 20 , the ridge portion RJ of the first laminate LB1 is located closer to the second laminate LB2, and the ridge portion RJ of the second laminate LB2 is located farther from the first laminate LB1. After scribing the second laminate LB2, the scribe tool 90 is passed through the second laminate LB2 and then through the first laminate LB1 to scribe the first laminate LB1. At this time, the scribe tool 90 may be operated to enter from the top surface of the first laminate LB1 and exit from the side surface BS1 closer to the ridge portion RJ. The scribe tool 90 may also contact a damaged portion DP formed by cleaving the second laminate LB2. The scribe tool 90 may enter from the side surface BS2 of the second laminate LB2 farther from the ridge portion RJ and exit from the top surface of the second laminate LB2.

[0117] (1B) 21A and 21B are schematic diagrams showing an example of the trajectory of the scribe tool 90. As shown in FIG. 21A, the trajectory of the scribe tool 90 may be boat-shaped. For example, the trajectory of the scribe tool 90 may be such that the scribe tool 90 moves obliquely downward in the X and Z directions, then moves in the X direction, and then moves obliquely upward in the X and Z directions. In this case, the cleavage starting point can be narrowed. This improves the cleavage accuracy. As a result, the yield of forming the laser body 21 can be improved.

[0118] 21B, the scribing tool 90 may have a box-like trajectory. For example, the scribing tool 90 may move downward in the Z direction, then move in the X direction, and then move upward in the Z direction. In this case, the scribing tool 90 can be easily inserted into the side surface of the first stack LB1 through the gap between the first stack LB1 and the second stack LB2. Furthermore, the scribing length can be easily shortened. As a result, the width of the laser bodies 21 can be narrowed. Therefore, a relatively large number of laser bodies 21 can be easily formed from the semiconductor substrate 10.

[0119] Example 2 FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser device according to the second embodiment.

[0120] In Example 1, an example was described in which the trajectory of the scribe tool 90 does not pass through the ridge portion RJ, but depending on the size of the gap GP, the performance of the scriber, and the position and size of the ridge portion RJ, the scribe tool 90 may unavoidably come into contact with the ridge portion RJ.

[0121] In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, the second semiconductor portion S2 includes a protruding portion TB located outside the ridge portion RJ, and scribing is performed on the protruding portion TB.

[0122] The protrusion TB may have the same height as the ridge portion RJ, for example. The laser body 21 may have scribe marks M1 on the protrusion TB. This effectively reduces the possibility that the scribe tool 90 will come into contact with the ridge portion RJ, allowing scribing to be performed on the stack LB. In this case, the scribe tool 90 is also less likely to come into contact with the damaged portion DP of the second stack LB2.

[0123] The subsequent steps can be carried out in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0124] Example 3 Fig. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of lateral growth of the first semiconductor portion (ELO semiconductor layer). Fig. 24 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser element in Example 3.

[0125] 23, an initial growth portion SL may be formed on the seed portion 3 (upper GaN layer) exposed from the opening K, and then the first semiconductor portion S1 may be grown laterally from the initial growth portion SL. The initial growth portion SL serves as the starting point for the lateral growth of the first semiconductor portion S1. By appropriately controlling the ELO film formation conditions, it is possible to control the growth of the first semiconductor portion S1 to either the Z direction (c-axis direction) or the X direction (a-axis direction).

[0126] Here, deposition of the initial growth portion SL may be stopped just before the edge of the initial growth portion SL rises onto the upper surface of the growth-inhibiting portion 5 (the stage where it touches the upper end of the side surface of the growth-inhibiting portion 5) or just after it rises onto the upper surface of the growth-inhibiting portion 5 (i.e., at this timing, the ELO deposition conditions may be switched from c-axis deposition conditions to a-axis deposition conditions). In this way, lateral deposition is performed from a state in which the initial growth portion SL slightly protrudes from the growth-inhibiting portion 5, thereby reducing the consumption of material in the thickness direction growth of the first semiconductor portion S1 and enabling the first semiconductor portion S1 to grow laterally at high speed. The initial growth portion SL may have a thickness of, for example, 0.5 μm to 4.0 μm.

[0127] In Example 3, as shown in FIG. 24, the first semiconductor portion S1 in the first stack LB1 includes a lower first surface BS11 and an upper second surface BS12 on the side closer to the ridge portion RJ, and the second surface BS12 may be inclined toward the ridge portion RJ.

[0128] This ensures that the space between the first laminate LB1 and the second laminate LB2 is wide enough for the scribe tool 90 to pass through. Therefore, when the scribe tool 90 scribes the first laminate LB1 at an angle, the scribe tool 90 can be easily projected from the top surface of the first laminate LB1 at a position relatively far from the ridge portion RJ. This effectively reduces the possibility that the scribe tool 90 will come into contact with the ridge portion RJ, allowing scribing of the laminate LB. Furthermore, in this case, the scribe tool 90 is less likely to come into contact with the damaged portion DP of the second laminate LB2.

[0129] 24, in Example 3, the first growth suppressing portion 5F and the second growth suppressing portion 5S are removed before scribing. Because the first semiconductor portion S1 and the base substrate BK are chemically bonded in the opening K, scribing can be performed on the first stacked body LB1 and the second stacked body LB2 even when the growth suppressing portion 5 (mask portion) is removed. This is also true for the other Examples.

[0130] The subsequent steps can be carried out in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0131] Example 4 FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a method for manufacturing a laser device according to the fourth embodiment.

[0132] In Examples 1 to 3, scribing was performed on the second stack LB2 and then on the first stack LB1, whereas in Example 4, scribing may be performed on the second stack LB2 and the first stack LB1 simultaneously.

[0133] In Example 4, as shown in FIG. 25, the ridge portion RJ of the first laminate LB1 is located closer to the second laminate LB2, and the ridge portion RJ of the second laminate LB2 is located closer to the first laminate LB1. The first and second laminates LB1 and LB2 are scribed by passing a scribing tool 90 through the second laminate LB2 and then through the first laminate LB1. This allows the second laminate LB2 and the first laminate LB1 to be cleaved.

[0134] The subsequent steps can be carried out in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0135] Example 5 Fig. 26 is a flow chart that schematically shows a method for manufacturing the laser device in Example 5. Fig. 27 is a cross-sectional view that schematically shows a method for manufacturing the laser device in Example 5.

[0136] 26 and 27 , in Example 5, first, a semiconductor substrate 10 is prepared, which includes a base substrate BK, a first growth-inhibiting portion 5F and a second growth-inhibiting portion 5S adjacent to each other with an opening K therebetween, and a longitudinal first semiconductor portion S1 located from the opening K on the first growth-inhibiting portion 5F and the second growth-inhibiting portion 5S. Then, an intermediate portion 9T including an active portion 9K is formed on the first semiconductor portion S1, and a first stacked body LB1 including the first semiconductor portion S1 and the intermediate portion 9T is scribed in a portion located on the first growth-inhibiting portion 5F. After that, a ridge portion RJ located above the first growth-inhibiting portion 5F is formed above the active portion 9K.

[0137] The intermediate portion 9T may include a first contact portion 9A, a first cladding portion 9B, a first optical guiding portion 9C, an active portion 9K, a second optical guiding portion 9D, an electron blocking portion 9E, and a second cladding portion 9F. By scribing the first stack LB1 including the first semiconductor portion S1 and the intermediate portion 9T, a damaged portion DP may be generated at the cleavage facet. On the other hand, no damaged portion DP is generated in the portion located on the first growth suppressing portion 5F.

[0138] In the fifth embodiment, the ridge portion RJ and the first electrode E1 are formed in a portion located above the first growth suppressing portion 5F, thereby making it possible to form the optical resonator LK without being affected by the damaged portion DP.

[0139] The subsequent steps can be carried out in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0140] Example 6 Fig. 28 is a flow chart that schematically shows a method for manufacturing the laser device in Example 6. Fig. 29 is a cross-sectional view that schematically shows a method for manufacturing the laser device in Example 6.

[0141] 28 and 29, in the laser element manufacturing method of Example 6, after preparing a semiconductor substrate 10 having a laminate LB, a first laminate LB1 including a first semiconductor portion S1 and a second semiconductor portion S2 is temporarily transferred to a first tape TF and then retransferred to a second tape TS. Then, the laminate LB is scribed on the second tape TS.

[0142] For example, after the laminate LB is formed, the growth suppressing portion 5 (mask portion) may be etched away, and the laminate LB may be transferred to an adhesive first tape TF. This separates the first semiconductor portion S1 from the base substrate BK. The back surface of the first semiconductor portion S1 in the laminate LB may be polished. The laminate LB may be attached to a second tape TS, and the laminate LB may be transferred from the first tape TF to the second tape TS.

[0143] Thereafter, the laminate LB is scribed on the second tape TS to form a laser body 21 having a pair of cavity end faces F1 and F2. Next, the laser body 21 on the second tape TS is bonded to a support substrate SK. This forms a two-dimensionally arranged laser substrate 22 (see FIG. 17). Next, the two-dimensionally arranged laser substrate 22 is divided into rows to form one-dimensionally arranged (rod-shaped) laser substrates 22 (see FIG. 18). Next, a reflector film UF is formed on the cavity end faces F1 and F2 of the one-dimensionally arranged laser substrate 22. Thereafter, the support substrate SK is divided into multiple support members ST, and one or more laser bodies 21 are held on each support member ST to form multiple laser elements 23 (see FIG. 12). Each laser body 21 is held on the support member ST in a junction-down configuration (a mounting configuration in which the ridge portion RJ is located on the support member ST side).

[0144] The base material of the first tape TF can be a material such as PET. The base material of the second tape TS can be a material such as polyimide. The base materials of the first and second tapes TF and TS can be made of the same material or different materials.

[0145] In Example 6, the laminate LB is divided on the second tape TS, but this is not limiting. Alternatively, cleavage initiation points may be formed in the laminate LB in advance by scribing or the like, and the laminate LB held on the first tape TF is brought into contact with the third tape. Then, using a breaking blade or the like, stress is applied to the laminate LB from the back surface of the third tape through the tape, thereby cleaving the laminate LB. In this case, the base material of the first tape TF may be formed of a material with a larger Young's modulus than the third tape. This reduces deformation of the first tape TF when cleaving the laminate LB and suppresses misalignment of the laminate LB. On the other hand, if the third tape is more flexible than the first tape TF, for example, when stress is applied to the laminate LB using a breaking blade, the third tape can more easily conform to the shape of the breaking blade, allowing stress to be applied to a more concentrated area. This facilitates cleavage of the laminate LB.

[0146] The base material of the third tape may be made of, for example, polyolefin. The Young's modulus of the first tape TF may be, for example, 2000 MPa or more, and the Young's modulus of the third tape may be, for example, 1500 MPa or less.

[0147] Example 7 The laser body 21, the laser substrate (semiconductor laser array) 22, the laser element (a semiconductor laser element) 23, and the semiconductor laser module are collectively called a semiconductor laser device. The semiconductor laser module (not shown) may be, for example, a surface-mounted package, and may include a housing and a laser element 23. The semiconductor laser module may be, for example, a TO-CAN-mounted package, and may include a stem and a laser element 23.

[0148] The present disclosure also encompasses electronic devices including a semiconductor laser device and a control unit including a processor that controls the semiconductor laser device. Examples of such electronic devices include lighting devices, display devices, communication devices, information processing devices, medical devices, and electric vehicles (EVs).

[0149] Example 8 30 and 31 are cross-sectional views schematically illustrating a method for manufacturing a laser device according to Example 8. As shown in FIG. 30, the second semiconductor portion S2 has an electron blocking layer 9E, and the electron blocking layer 9E may be included in the ridge portion RJ. The active layer (active portion) 9K may be included in the ridge portion RJ. As shown in FIG. 31, the second semiconductor portion S2 including the electron blocking layer 9E has a protrusion TB located outside the ridge portion RJ. A trench TR penetrating the electron blocking layer 9E is formed between the protrusion TB and the ridge portion RJ. The ridge portion RJ may include a lower portion 9U including the electron blocking layer 9E and an upper portion 9J narrower than the lower portion 9U. The lower portion 9U may include the active layer 9K. According to Example 8, the flatness of the cleavage facets was improved. This is thought to be because scratches are likely to occur at the interface where the compositions of the electron blocking layer 9E, the active layer 9K, etc. change. The flatness of the cleaved facets can also be improved by gradating the aluminum composition of the electron blocking layer 9E or by decreasing the aluminum composition of the electron blocking layer 9E while increasing the film thickness.

[0150] [Additional notes] The invention according to the present disclosure has been described above based on various drawings and examples. However, the invention according to the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and examples. In other words, the invention according to the present disclosure can be modified in various ways within the scope of the present disclosure, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments and examples are also included in the technical scope of the invention according to the present disclosure. In other words, it should be noted that a person skilled in the art can easily make various modifications or corrections based on the present disclosure. It should also be noted that these modifications or corrections are included in the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0151] 5 Growth suppression part (mask part) 6 Growth control pattern (mask pattern) 7 Template substrate 10. Semiconductor substrate 21 Laser body 22 Laser substrate 23 Laser element 90 Scribe Tool F1, F2 resonator end face Black base board K opening LB1 First laminate LB2 Second laminate S1 First Semiconductor Department S2 Second Semiconductor Department SK support board

Claims

1. a step of preparing a semiconductor substrate having a base substrate, a first growth inhibiting portion and a second growth inhibiting portion adjacent to each other with an opening therebetween, and a first semiconductor portion having an elongated shape and positioned from the opening to the first growth inhibiting portion and the second growth inhibiting portion; forming a second semiconductor portion including a ridge portion on the first semiconductor portion, and forming a first stacked body including the first semiconductor portion and the second semiconductor portion and extending in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal shape; scribing the first laminate; the ridge portion is located above the first growth inhibiting portion so as not to overlap with the opening in a plan view, A method for manufacturing a laser element, wherein the scribing is performed by inserting a scribe tool into one of two side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the first stack, the side surface closer to the ridge portion and positioned farther from the opening than the ridge portion in a planar view.

2. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 1 , wherein the scribing causes natural cleavage of the first laminate.

3. The method for manufacturing a laser device according to claim 2 , wherein the cleavage is performed on the base substrate without dividing the base substrate.

4. the second semiconductor portion includes an active layer, The method for manufacturing a laser device according to claim 1 , wherein the ridge portion is located above the active layer.

5. The method for manufacturing a laser device according to claim 1 , wherein the scribe tool is brought out from the upper surface of the first stack.

6. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 5 , wherein the position where the scribe tool comes out is located outside the ridge portion.

7. 7. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 6, wherein the position where the scribe tool protrudes is 3 [mu]m or less from the side surface closer to the ridge portion.

8. 2. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 1, wherein the side surface closer to the ridge portion includes a first surface on the lower side and a second surface on the upper side, the second surface being inclined toward the ridge portion.

9. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the scribing is performed on the second semiconductor portion.

10. the second semiconductor portion includes a protruding portion located outside the ridge portion, The method for manufacturing a laser element according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the scribing is performed on the convex portion.

11. the first growth suppressing portion and the second growth suppressing portion are aligned in a first direction, 9. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 1, further comprising forming a second stack adjacent to the first stack in the first direction and having a ridge portion.

12. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 11, wherein the second stacked body is formed at a distance of 5 μm or more from the first stacked body.

13. the ridge portion of the first stacked body is located closer to the second stacked body, and the ridge portion of the second stacked body is located farther from the first stacked body, The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 11 , wherein after scribing the second stack, the first stack is scribed by passing the scribe tool through the second stack and then through the first stack.

14. the ridge portion of the first stacked body is located on a side closer to the second stacked body, and the ridge portion of the second stacked body is located on a side closer to the first stacked body, The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 11 , wherein the first and second stacks are scribed by passing a scribing tool through the second stack and then through the first stack.

15. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the locus of the scribing tool is boat-shaped.

16. 9. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 1, wherein the locus of the scribing tool is box-shaped.

17. 9. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 1, wherein the scribing is performed with a diamond scriber.

18. 9. The method for manufacturing a laser device according to claim 1, wherein the ridge portion includes a cladding layer and a contact layer.

19. 9. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 1, wherein the ridge portion has a ridge shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the first semiconductor portion.

20. the second semiconductor portion includes a nitride semiconductor; The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 9 , wherein the direction of the force applied by the scribe tool to the second semiconductor portion is parallel to the m-plane of the second semiconductor portion.

21. the first semiconductor portion includes a GaN-based semiconductor, 9. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 1, wherein the first growth inhibiting portion and the second growth inhibiting portion are aligned in a <11-20> direction of the GaN-based semiconductor.

22. forming a plurality of anodes aligned in the longitudinal direction of the first semiconductor portion on the ridge portion before the scribing; The method for manufacturing a laser device according to claim 2 , wherein the cleavage planes produced by the scribing do not intersect with any of the anodes.

23. 9. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 1, wherein the first growth inhibiting portion and the second growth inhibiting portion are removed before the scribing is performed.

24. A process for preparing a semiconductor substrate having a base substrate, a first growth inhibition portion and a second growth inhibition portion adjacent to each other with an opening therebetween, and a first semiconductor portion having an elongated shape positioned from the opening on the first growth inhibition portion and on the second growth inhibition portion; forming a second semiconductor portion on the first semiconductor portion, the second semiconductor portion including a ridge portion located above the first growth inhibiting portion; scribing a portion of a first stack including the first semiconductor portion and the second semiconductor portion on a side where the ridge portion is located, the ridge portion does not overlap the opening portion in a plan view, The first laminate is transferred to a first tape and then retransferred to a second tape; A method for manufacturing a laser element, wherein the scribing is performed by inserting a scribe tool onto the second tape from one of two side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the first laminate that is closer to the ridge portion.

25. the base substrate comprises a silicon substrate; 9. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor portion includes a GaN-based semiconductor.

26. the second semiconductor portion has an electron blocking layer; The method for manufacturing a laser device according to claim 1 , wherein the electron blocking layer is included in the ridge portion.

27. ​​A process for preparing a semiconductor substrate having a base substrate, a first growth inhibition portion and a second growth inhibition portion adjacent to each other with an opening, and a first semiconductor portion having an elongated shape positioned from the opening on the first growth inhibition portion and on the second growth inhibition portion; forming a second semiconductor portion on the first semiconductor portion, the second semiconductor portion including a ridge portion located above the first growth inhibiting portion; scribing a portion of a first stack including the first semiconductor portion and the second semiconductor portion on a side where the ridge portion is located, the ridge portion does not overlap the opening portion in a plan view, the second semiconductor portion includes a protruding portion located outside the ridge portion, the second semiconductor portion has an electron blocking layer; a trench penetrating the electron blocking layer is formed between the protrusion and the ridge; the ridge portion includes a lower portion including the electron blocking layer and an upper portion having a narrower width than the lower portion, A method for manufacturing a laser element, comprising inserting a scribe tool into the first stack from one of two side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the first stack that is closer to the ridge portion, and performing the scribing on the convex portion.

28. a step of preparing a semiconductor substrate having a base substrate, a first growth inhibiting portion and a second growth inhibiting portion adjacent to each other with an opening therebetween, and a first semiconductor portion having an elongated shape and positioned from the opening to the first growth inhibiting portion and the second growth inhibiting portion; forming an intermediate portion including an active layer on the first semiconductor portion; scribing a portion of a stacked body including the first semiconductor portion and the intermediate portion and extending in a longitudinal direction of the longitudinal shape, the portion being located on the first growth inhibiting portion; forming a ridge portion located above the first growth suppression portion above the active layer, the ridge portion does not overlap the opening portion in a plan view, A method for manufacturing a laser element, wherein the scribing is performed by inserting a scribe tool into one of two side surfaces of the laminate along the longitudinal direction, the side surface closer to the ridge portion and positioned farther from the opening than the ridge portion in a planar view.

29. 29. The method for manufacturing a laser element according to claim 1, wherein the first growth inhibiting portion and the second growth inhibiting portion are a first mask portion and a second mask portion adjacent to each other via the opening.

30. 30. An apparatus for manufacturing a laser element, which performs each step according to claim 1 or 28.

31. a base semiconductor portion; and a compound semiconductor portion located on the base semiconductor portion and including an active portion, the base semiconductor portion includes a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion located between the first portion and the second portion and having a threading dislocation density higher than that of the first portion and the second portion; the compound semiconductor portion has a ridge portion located above the first portion so as not to overlap with the third portion in a plan view; A laser element having a scribe mark on a side where the ridge portion is located, in a portion farther from the third portion than the ridge portion in a plan view.

32. 32. The laser device according to claim 31, wherein the compound semiconductor portion has the scribed mark.

33. the base semiconductor portion and the compound semiconductor portion include GaN-based semiconductors, 32. The laser device according to claim 31, wherein the compound semiconductor portion includes a cavity end facet that is an m-plane.

34. 32. The laser device of claim 31, wherein the second portion has a linear scratch extending from the third portion.

35. An electronic device comprising the laser device according to any one of claims 31 to 34.

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