Method for forming a metal contact on a surface of a semiconductor, and device with a metal contact

Abstract

A method is described for forming at least one metal contact on a surface of a semiconductor and a device with at least one metal contact. The method is used for forming at least one metal contact (60) on a surface (11) of a semiconductor (10) and has the steps of: applying a metal layer (20) of palladium onto the semiconductor surface (11), applying a mask (40, 50) onto the metal layer (20), and structuring the palladium of the metal layer (20) using the mask (40, 50), wherein lateral deposits (21) of the metal are formed on sidewalls of the mask by the structuring so that the mask is embedded between the deposits (21) and the structured metal layer (20′) after the structuring. Since the mask is conductive, it can remain embedded in the metal. The deposits and the mask form a part of the contact.

Claims

1. A method for forming at least one metal contact (60) on a surface (11) of a semiconductor (10) made of gallium nitride, comprising the steps of: applying a metal layer (20) of palladium onto the semiconductor surface (11), applying a mask (40, 50) onto the metal layer (20), and structuring at least the metal layer (20) using the mask (40, 50), wherein lateral deposits (21) of the metal of the metal layer are formed on sidewalls of the mask by the structuring so that the mask is embedded between the deposits (21) and the structured metal layer (20′) after the structuring, characterized in that the mask is a conductive hard mask, wherein the structuring also structures the semiconductor (10) and comprises the following steps: sputter etching the metal layer (20) with argon, and plasma etching the semiconductor (10) with chlorine.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mask includes at least one conductive material (50) different from the metal layer, and wherein the at least one conductive material (50) forms a lowermost layer of the hard mask and the hard mask further includes a layer (40) made of the metal layer of palladium which is arranged on the at least one conductive material (50).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the conductive material (40) includes titanium, nickel or chromium.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor (10) is epitaxial.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metal contact (60) is a part of a ridge waveguide.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metal contact (60) is a mesa structure on a p-side of a micro-pixel LED or a nano-pixel LED.

7. A device with at least one metal contact (60) on a surface (11) of a structured gallium nitride semiconductor (10), wherein the metal contact comprises a conductive hard mask material on a correspondingly structured palladium layer (20′) and the conductive hard mask material is between the structured palladium layer and between palladium deposits (21) that are on the sidewalls of the conductive hard mask material, wherein no surface section of the metal contact (60) is concave.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein all surface sections are flat.

Description

(1) The invention is described below in exemplary embodiments with reference to the associated drawings. In the drawings:

(2) FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show schematically different states of a semiconductor during a method for forming a metal contact according to the prior art, and

(3) FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show schematically different states of a semiconductor during a method for forming a metal contact according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

(4) FIG. 4 shows the unstructured semiconductor 10 of GaN with a metal layer 20 of Pd, palladium, on a surface 11 of the semiconductor 10. The unstructured semiconductor 10 of the example is an epitaxial semiconductor, but the present invention develops its technical effect also for other semiconductors and is not limited to epitaxial semiconductors.

(5) As shown in FIG. 5, a conductive hard mask 40, 50 which includes a lowermost layer 50 of Ti, titanium is applied. Other conductive materials different from palladium are Ni, nickel, and Cr, chromium. An uppermost layer 40 which is arranged on the lowermost layer 50 also consists of palladium. The uppermost layer 40 is optional and, in the example, considerably thicker than the metal layer 20. In the example, there are only two layers present so that the uppermost layer 40 is arranged directly on the lowermost layer 50. However, further conductive layers are possible in the sense of the invention. When only one layer is used, it is the more advantageous the more similar the electrical properties of the different conductive material are to that of the metal. Particularly, the hard mask can also consist of the metal of the metal layer 20.

(6) Then, the metal layer 20 is structured by sputter etching, for example with argon, i. e., is removed in the non-masked area. Here, the uppermost layer 40 is removed correspondingly, but since it is thicker than the metal layer 20, a residue from the uppermost layer 40 remains when the metal layer 20 is already completely removed in the non-masked area.

(7) The metal removed in the non-masked area and from the surface of the uppermost layer 40 deposits laterally at the structured metal layer 20′ and at the layers 40 and 50 of the mask in form of deposits 21 of the metal.

(8) Subsequently, the semiconductor 10 is structured by means of plasma etching, for example with chlorine, using the same mask.

(9) As shown in FIG. 6, the deposits 21 and the layers 20′ and 50 enclose the different conductive material of the layer 40. The residues of the hard mask, i.e., the residues of the layer 50 and the layer 40, are all conductive and can be used as a part of the contact so that neither the mask nor the deposits have to be removed. Thus, no surface section of the metal contact is produced which is concave. Additionally, the method proposed according to the invention requires fewer method steps. The contact can easily be contacted via the surface of the residue of the layer 40, and the cavity between the deposits 21 is filled so that it is not necessary to remove the deposits 21. Thus, the device proposed according to the invention is more reliable and more functional.

(10) Metal contacts in the sense of the invention can be used advantageously for various applications. For example, the metal contact can be a part of a ridge waveguide. For example, it is also possible for the metal contact to be a mesa structure on a p-side of a micro-pixel LED or a nano-pixel LED.

(11) In an exemplary embodiment, the metal contact comprises a conductive hard mask material on a correspondingly structured palladium layer and between palladium deposits, wherein all surface sections of the metal contact are convex or flat. That is, in this exemplary embodiment, no surface section of the metal contact is concave.