阅读说明：本技术 一种Micro-LED芯片及其制造方法 (Micro-L ED chip and manufacturing method thereof ) 是由 蒋振宇 闫春辉 于 2019-12-13 设计创作，主要内容包括：本申请涉及发光二极管领域,特别是一种Micro-LED芯片及其制造方法,该Micro-LED芯片包括：缓冲层；发光外延层,包括依次层叠设置于缓冲层的一侧主表面上的第一导电类型半导体层、量子阱层以及第二导电类型半导体层,其中第二导电类型半导体层、量子阱层以及第一导电类型半导体层形成部分外露第一导电类型半导体层的台面结构,其中,台面结构进一步由沟槽进行划分成阵列排布且彼此独立的多个发光单元。通过上述方式,本申请将现有Micro-LED芯片的台面结构进一步划分成多个发光单元,进而避免单个发光单元损坏而导致Micro-LED芯片的整体失效。(The application relates to the field of light emitting diodes, in particular to a Micro-L ED chip and a manufacturing method thereof, wherein the Micro-L ED chip comprises a buffer layer and a light emitting epitaxial layer, wherein the light emitting epitaxial layer comprises a first conduction type semiconductor layer, a quantum well layer and a second conduction type semiconductor layer which are sequentially stacked on one main surface of the buffer layer, the second conduction type semiconductor layer, the quantum well layer and the first conduction type semiconductor layer form a mesa structure with a part of the first conduction type semiconductor layer exposed, the mesa structure is further divided into a plurality of light emitting units which are arranged in an array mode and are independent of one another through grooves, and through the mode, the mesa structure of the existing Micro-L ED chip is further divided into the plurality of light emitting units, so that the integral failure of the Micro-L ED chip caused by the damage of the single light emitting unit is avoided.)

1. A Micro-L ED chip, wherein the Micro-L ED chip comprises:

a buffer layer;

the light-emitting epitaxial layer comprises a first conduction type semiconductor layer, a quantum well layer and a second conduction type semiconductor layer which are sequentially stacked and arranged on one main surface of the buffer layer, wherein the second conduction type semiconductor layer, the quantum well layer and the first conduction type semiconductor layer form a mesa structure with a part exposing the first conduction type semiconductor layer, and the mesa structure is further divided into a plurality of light-emitting units which are arrayed and independent of each other by grooves.

2. The Micro-L ED chip of claim 1, wherein the Micro-L ED chip further includes:

a first conductive type electrode disposed on a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer exposed by the mesa structure and electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer;

and a second conductive type electrode disposed on the top of the mesa structure and electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer of each of the light emitting cells.

3. The Micro-L ED chip of claim 1, wherein the Micro-L ED chip further includes a mirror layer disposed between the second conductivity type semiconductor layer and the second conductivity type electrode.

4. The Micro-L ED chip of claim 3, wherein the mirror layer is divided by the grooves such that the mirror layers on the plurality of light emitting cells are independent of each other.

5. The Micro-L ED chip of claim 1, wherein the Micro-L ED chip further includes a first insulating layer filling the trench and covering a peripheral wall of the mesa structure, the second conductive type electrode entirely covering the first insulating layer within the trench and the plurality of light emitting cells.

6. The Micro-L ED chip as recited in claim 5, wherein the Micro-L ED chip further comprises a second insulating layer covering the first and second conductivity-type electrodes, the second insulating layer having first and second openings disposed thereon exposing the first and second conductivity-type electrodes, respectively, the Micro-L ED chip being electrically connected to the first and second conductivity-type pads of the first and second conductivity-type electrodes through the first and second openings, respectively.

7. The Micro-L ED chip of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting cells have a non-uniform distribution of cross-sectional area and/or pitch along a parallel direction of the major surface of the buffer layer.

8. The Micro-L ED chip according to claim 7, wherein cross-sectional areas of the plurality of light emitting cells along a parallel direction of the major surface of the buffer layer gradually increase in a direction approaching the first conductive type electrode, and/or wherein pitches of the plurality of light emitting cells along the parallel direction of the major surface of the buffer layer gradually decrease in a direction approaching the first conductive type electrode.

9. The Micro-L ED chip according to claim 7, wherein cross-sectional areas of the plurality of light-emitting cells in a parallel direction of the major surface of the buffer layer gradually increase or decrease from a middle portion to both ends of the mesa structure, and/or pitches of the plurality of light-emitting cells in the parallel direction of the major surface of the buffer layer gradually decrease or increase from the middle portion to both ends of the mesa structure.

10. A method for manufacturing a Micro-L ED chip is characterized in that the method for manufacturing the Micro-L ED chip comprises the following steps:

providing a substrate;

forming a buffer layer on one main surface of the substrate;

forming a light emitting epitaxial layer on a main surface of the buffer layer away from the substrate, wherein the light emitting epitaxial layer comprises a first conductive type semiconductor layer, a quantum well layer and a second conductive type semiconductor layer which are sequentially stacked and arranged on the main surface of the buffer layer;

and patterning the second conduction type semiconductor layer, the quantum well layer and the first conduction type semiconductor layer to form a mesa structure partially exposing the first conduction type semiconductor layer, and further dividing the mesa structure into a plurality of light emitting units which are distributed in an array and are independent of each other by a groove.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

forming a first conductive type electrode on a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer exposed by the mesa structure, wherein the first conductive type electrode is electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer;

and forming a second conductive type electrode on the top of the mesa structure, wherein the second conductive type electrode is electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer of each of the light emitting cells.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of forming a light emitting epitaxial layer on the major surface of the buffer layer remote from the substrate further comprises:

further forming a mirror layer on the second conductive type semiconductor layer;

the patterning the second conductive type semiconductor layer, the quantum well layer, and the first conductive type semiconductor layer further includes:

patterning the mirror layers such that the mirror layers on the plurality of light emitting units are independent of each other.

13. The Micro-L ED chip of claim 11, wherein the step of forming a second conductivity type electrode on top of the mesa structure further includes:

filling the groove with a first insulating layer and covering the outer peripheral wall of the mesa structure;

entirely covering the first insulating layer and the plurality of light emitting cells in the trench with the second conductive type electrode;

the method further comprises:

covering the first conductive type electrode and the second conductive type electrode with a second insulating layer, and forming a first opening and a second opening on the second insulating layer, respectively exposing the first conductive type electrode and the second conductive type electrode;

forming a first conductive type pad and a second conductive type pad electrically connected to the first conductive type electrode and the second conductive type electrode through the first opening and the second opening, respectively.

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of light emitting diodes, in particular to a Micro-L ED chip and a manufacturing method thereof.

Background

In practical use, the prepared Micro-3626 ED chip needs to be transferred to a circuit substrate in a mass transfer mode and packaged, and each Micro-L ED chip is used as a sub-pixel of a display, however, the existing Micro-L ED chip only comprises an integral light-emitting unit, and when the light-emitting unit is damaged, the whole sub-pixel generates dark spots.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a Micro-L ED chip and a manufacturing method thereof, which can avoid the integral failure of the Micro-L ED chip caused by the damage of a single light-emitting unit.

In order to solve the technical problem, one technical scheme adopted by the application is that the Micro-L ED chip comprises a buffer layer and a light emitting epitaxial layer, wherein the light emitting epitaxial layer comprises a first conduction type semiconductor layer, a quantum well layer and a second conduction type semiconductor layer which are sequentially stacked on one main surface of the buffer layer, the second conduction type semiconductor layer, the quantum well layer and the first conduction type semiconductor layer form a mesa structure, parts of the mesa structure are exposed out of the first conduction type semiconductor layer, and the mesa structure is further divided into a plurality of light emitting units which are arranged in an array mode and are independent of one another through grooves.

In order to solve the technical problem, another technical scheme adopted by the application is that the manufacturing method of the Micro-L ED chip comprises the steps of providing a substrate, forming a buffer layer on one main surface of the substrate, forming a light emitting epitaxial layer on the main surface, far away from the substrate, of the buffer layer, wherein the light emitting epitaxial layer comprises a first conduction type semiconductor layer, a quantum well layer and a second conduction type semiconductor layer which are sequentially arranged on the main surface of the buffer layer in a laminated mode, patterning the second conduction type semiconductor layer, the quantum well layer and the first conduction type semiconductor layer to form a mesa structure with the first conduction type semiconductor layer partially exposed, and enabling the mesa structure to be further divided into a plurality of light emitting units which are distributed in an array mode and are independent of each other through grooves.

The light-emitting diode chip has the beneficial effects that the light-emitting diode chip is different from the situation of the prior art, the second conduction type semiconductor layer, the quantum well layer and the first conduction type semiconductor layer form a mesa structure with the part of the first conduction type semiconductor layer exposed, the mesa structure is further divided into a plurality of light-emitting units which are arranged in an array mode and are independent of one another by the grooves, the mesa structure of the existing Micro-L ED chip is further divided into a plurality of light-emitting units, and therefore the integral failure of the Micro-L ED chip caused by the damage of the single light-emitting unit is avoided.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts. Wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a Micro-L ED chip according to a first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first top view of a Micro-L ED chip according to a first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a second top view of a Micro-L ED chip according to the first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a third top view of a Micro-L ED chip according to the first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a Micro-L ED chip according to a second embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a Micro-L ED chip according to a third embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a first schematic flow chart of a method for manufacturing the Micro-L ED chip according to the first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a second schematic flow chart of a method for fabricating the Micro-L ED chip according to the first embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a flowchart of step S16 in fig. 8;

FIG. 10 is a third schematic flow chart of a method for fabricating the Micro-L ED chip according to the first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic flow chart of a method for manufacturing Micro-L ED chips according to a second embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 12 is a schematic flow chart of a method for manufacturing a Micro-L ED chip according to a third embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

As shown in fig. 1, a Micro-L ED chip 10 according to a first embodiment of the present application includes a buffer layer 11 and a light emitting epitaxial layer 12.

Here, the light emitting epitaxial layer 12 includes a first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, a quantum well layer 122, and a second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 sequentially stacked on one main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11. Wherein the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123, the quantum well layer 122, and the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 form the mesa structure 120 partially exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121.

Specifically, the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 may be a single layer or a multi-layer structure of other any suitable materials having different conductive types.

The quantum well layer 122 may be an MQWs structure including a plurality of stacked single-layer quantum wells (SQWs). The MQWs structure retains the advantages of SQW and has a larger volume of active region that allows for high optical power.

In the Micro-L ED chip 10 according to the first embodiment of the present application, the mesa structure 120 is further divided by the trench 13 into a plurality of light emitting cells 100 arranged in an array and independent of each other, and the plurality of light emitting cells 100 are light emitting cells of the same color.

Specifically, the trenches 13 defining the respective light emitting cells 100 are formed on the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, the quantum well layer 122, and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123, which apply an etching process to remove the interval regions between the mesa structures 120. The grooves 13 are not limited to the structure shown in fig. 1, and may have any other shape and any other arrangement.

In the present embodiment, the Micro-L ED chip 10 further includes a first conductive type electrode 15 and a second conductive type electrode 16.

The first conductive type electrode 15 is disposed on a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 exposed by the mesa structure 120, and is electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121. The first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 may be an n-type GaN layer, such as a GaN layer doped with at least one of Si, Ge and Sn, and the corresponding first conductive type electrode 15 is an n-type electrode.

The second conductive type electrode 16 is disposed on the top of the mesa structure 120 and electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 of each light emitting cell 100. The second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 may Be a p-type GaN layer, such as a GaN layer doped with at least one of Mg, Zn, Be, Ca, Sr, and Ba, and the corresponding second conductive type electrode 16 is a p-type electrode.

In the present embodiment, the Micro-L ED chip 10 further includes a mirror layer 17 disposed between the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 and the second conductive type electrode 16.

The reflective mirror layer 17 may be made of a transparent conductive material, such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), and the ITO is further coated with another metal mirror or DBR mirror. In other embodiments, the mirror may function as both a mirror and an ohmic contact, such as a metal mirror layer comprising silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), platinum (Pt), or other suitable metal.

In the present embodiment, the above-described mirror layer 17 is divided by the grooves 13 so that the mirror layers 17 on the plurality of light emitting cells 100 are independent of each other.

By forming a plurality of trenches 13 to form a plurality of mirror layers 17 independent of each other and connected to the second conductive type electrode 16, light emitted from the quantum well layer 122 to the mirror layers 17 can be directionally reflected by the mirror layers 17 when the Micro-L ED chip 10 is in operation, so as to reduce leakage loss and total reflection loss, thereby improving the light emitting efficiency of the Micro-L ED chip 10.

In the present embodiment, the Micro-L ED chip 10 further includes a first insulating layer 18 filling the trench 13 and covering the outer peripheral wall of the mesa structure 120.

The first insulating layer 18 may be formed on the outer peripheral wall of the trench 13 and covering the mesa structure 120 by sputtering, spraying, a L D or PECVD deposition, and the first insulating layer 18 may be made of one of aluminum nitride, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, bragg reflector DBR, silicon gel, resin or acrylic.

Further, the second conductive type electrode 16 entirely covers the first insulating layer 18 within the trench 13 and the plurality of light emitting cells 100. The entire upper surface of the first insulating layer 18 and the plurality of light emitting cells 100 are covered by the second conductive type electrode 16 such that the second conductive type electrode 16 is electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 of each light emitting cell 100.

As shown in fig. 1, the Micro-L ED chip 10 further includes a second insulating layer 19 covering the first and second conductive type electrodes 15 and 16, the second insulating layer 19 being provided with first and second openings 191 and 192 exposing the first and second conductive type electrodes 15 and 16, respectively, wherein the Micro-L ED chip 10 is electrically connected to the first and second conductive type pads 141 and 142 of the first and second conductive type electrodes 15 and 16, respectively, through the first and second openings 191 and 192.

Specifically, the outer peripheral walls of the first conductivity-type electrode 15 and the second conductivity-type electrode 16 are covered with the second insulating layer 19 by sputtering, spraying, a L D or PECVD deposition process, and the second insulating layer 19 may be made of one of aluminum nitride, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, bragg reflective layer DBR, silicon gel, resin or acrylic.

The first opening 191 serves to expose a first region of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, the first region corresponding to a region where the first conductive type pad 141 is formed; the second opening 192 serves to expose a second region of the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123, the second region corresponding to a region where the second conductive type pad 142 is formed.

Different from the situation of the prior art, the second conductive type semiconductor layer, the quantum well layer and the first conductive type semiconductor layer of the Micro-L ED chip of the first embodiment of the present application form a mesa structure with a part of the first conductive type semiconductor layer exposed, and the mesa structure is further divided into a plurality of light emitting units arranged in an array and independent of each other by the trench.

As shown in fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the plurality of light emitting cells 100 are non-uniformly distributed in cross-sectional area and/or pitch along the parallel direction of the main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11.

Note that fig. 2 is a top view of the electrode Micro-L ED chip 10 where the second conductive-type electrode 16, the second conductive-type pad 142, and the second insulating layer 19 are not formed.

Wherein a cross-sectional area of the plurality of light emitting cells 100 in the parallel direction of the main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 gradually increases in a direction approaching the first conductive type electrode 15, and/or a pitch of the plurality of light emitting cells 100 in the parallel direction of the main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 gradually decreases in a direction approaching the first conductive type electrode 15.

In this way, the problem of uneven brightness caused by the fact that the area where the first conductive type electrode 15 is located cannot emit light in the Micro-L ED chip 10 is solved.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, in an embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the plurality of light emitting cells 100 in the parallel direction of the main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 gradually increases or decreases from the middle of the mesa structure 120 to both ends, and/or the pitch of the plurality of light emitting cells 100 in the parallel direction of the main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 gradually decreases or increases from the middle of the mesa structure 120 to both ends.

The cross-sectional area of the light emitting units 100 along the parallel direction of the main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 gradually increases from the middle of the mesa structure 120 to both ends, or the distance between the light emitting units 100 along the parallel direction of the main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 gradually decreases from the middle of the mesa structure 120 to both ends, so as to increase the divergence angle of light and enlarge the light source area.

The cross-sectional area of the light emitting units 100 along the parallel direction of the main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 gradually decreases from the middle of the mesa structure 120 to the two ends, or the distance between the light emitting units 100 along the parallel direction of the main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 gradually increases from the middle of the mesa structure 120 to the two ends, so as to reduce the divergence angle of light and reduce the optical energy loss.

Wherein the cross-sectional dimension of a single light emitting cell 100 along the parallel direction of the major surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 ranges from 0.2 to 20 micrometers, and the pitch of adjacent light emitting cells 100 along the parallel direction of the major surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 ranges from 0.2 to 20 micrometers.

Note that fig. 3 and 4 are top views of the electrode Micro-L ED chip 10 where the first conductive-type electrode 15, the second conductive-type electrode 16, the first conductive-type pad 141, the second conductive-type pad 142, and the second insulating layer 19 are not formed.

As shown in fig. 5, the Micro-L ED chip 20 according to the second embodiment of the present application includes a buffer layer 21, a light emitting epitaxial layer 22, first and second conductive type electrodes 25 and 26, a mirror layer 27, an insulating layer 29, a first opening 291, a second opening 292, a first conductive type pad 241, and a second conductive type pad 242 similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, wherein the light emitting epitaxial layer 22 includes a first conductive type semiconductor layer 221, a quantum well layer 222, and a second conductive type semiconductor layer 223 sequentially stacked and disposed on a main surface of the buffer layer 21.

The present embodiment is different from the embodiment shown in fig. 1 in that the mesa structure 220 is further divided into a plurality of light emitting cells 200 arranged in an array and independent of each other by the integral insulating region 28 formed by ion bombardment. The ion bombardment mode adopts ion source selected from ions of the following elements: h (hydrogen), He (helium), N (nitrogen), F (fluorine), Mg (magnesium), Ar (argon), Zn (zinc), O (oxygen), Ti (titanium), Fe (iron), Cr (chromium), Mn (manganese), and Co (cobalt), or any combination thereof; the ion energy of the ion bombardment is from 10KeV to over 1000 KeV. The advantage of forming the integral insulating region 28 by ion bombardment is that damage to the light-emitting epitaxial layer 22 caused by etching the trench is avoided, and non-radiative recombination is effectively avoided.

The reflector layer 27 is an integrated structure, and the reflector layer 27 covers the integrated insulating region 28 and the plurality of light emitting units 200. The mirror layer 27 may be made of a transparent conductive material such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) that is coated with other metal mirrors or DBR mirrors. In other embodiments, the mirror may function as both a mirror and an ohmic contact, such as a metal mirror layer comprising silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), platinum (Pt), or other suitable metal.

Different from the situation in the prior art, the second conductive type semiconductor layer, the quantum well layer and the first conductive type semiconductor layer of the Micro-L ED chip in the second embodiment of the present application form a mesa structure with a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer exposed, and the mesa structure is further divided into a plurality of light emitting units arranged in an array and independent of each other by an integral insulating region formed in an ion bombardment manner, so as to realize one-time epitaxy of the plurality of light emitting units on the same buffer layer.

As shown in fig. 6, the Micro-L ED chip 30 according to the third embodiment of the present application includes a buffer layer 31, a light emitting epitaxial layer 32, first and second conductive type electrodes 35 and 36, a mirror layer 37, a second insulating layer 39, a first opening 391, a second opening 392, a first conductive type pad 341, and a second conductive type pad 342, similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, wherein the light emitting epitaxial layer 32 includes a first conductive type semiconductor layer 321, a quantum well layer 322, and a second conductive type semiconductor layer 323 sequentially stacked on a main surface of the buffer layer 31.

The present embodiment is different from the embodiment shown in fig. 5 in that in the present embodiment, a first insulating region 381 formed by ion bombardment and provided integrally with the mesa structure 320 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the mesa structure 320, and a second insulating layer 39 is further clad on the first and second conductivity-type electrodes 35 and 36 outside the first insulating region 381.

Specifically, an additional insulating layer (not shown) is formed outside the light emitting cell 300 while the second insulating region 382 for dividing the light emitting cell 300 is formed by ion bombardment, and a mesa structure is formed by etching along the additional insulating region, and the remaining insulating layer is used as the first insulating region 381.

It should be noted that the first insulating region 381 is applicable to other types of mesa structures, such as an all-in-one mesa structure without being divided into a plurality of light emitting cells by insulating regions or trenches.

Different from the situation in the prior art, the second conductive type semiconductor layer, the quantum well layer and the first conductive type semiconductor layer of the Micro-L ED chip in the third embodiment of the present application form a mesa structure with a portion exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer, and the outer peripheral wall of the mesa structure is provided with the first insulating region which is formed in an ion bombardment manner and is integrally arranged with the mesa structure, so that non-radiative recombination of carriers at the outer peripheral wall of the mesa structure can be prevented, and the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the Micro-L ED chip can be further improved.

As shown in fig. 7 and 1, the present application also proposes a manufacturing method for preparing a Micro-L ED chip 10 according to a first embodiment of the present application, comprising the following steps:

s11: a substrate is provided.

The substrate mentioned above is not particularly limited in material, but any known substance that can be patterned and used as a nitride L ED substrate can be used, and in general, sapphire, SiC, Si, GaN, ZnO, GaAs, GaP, L iAl that can grow nitride semiconductor substances can be used₂O₃Wherein the concave-convex pattern may be directly formed by an etching process, which facilitates the growth of high-quality gallium nitride-based semiconductor substances, having the effect of improving the light release efficiency of the Micro-L ED chip 10 by light scattering.

S12: a buffer layer 11 is formed on one major surface 110 of the substrate.

Specifically, the buffer layer 11 may be an AlN, AlGaN, GaN, or AlN/AlGaN/GaN composite buffer layer structure. The buffer layer 11 is prepared by two methods, one is prepared by a conventional MOCVD method, that is, vapor phase epitaxial growth is performed on the substrate 100 by using an organic compound of a group iii element and hydrides of group V and vi elements as crystal growth source materials and using a thermal decomposition reaction. In other embodiments, the deposition process may also be accomplished by means such as physical vapor deposition, sputtering, hydrogen vapor deposition, or atomic layer deposition.

S13: a light-emitting epitaxial layer 12 is formed on the major surface 110 of the buffer layer 11 remote from the substrate.

The light emitting epitaxial layer 12 includes a first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, a quantum well layer 122, and a second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 sequentially stacked and disposed on the main surface 110 of the buffer layer 11.

Specifically, the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, the quantum well layer 122, and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 may be sequentially formed using a Metal-organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD), a Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE), or other growth methods.

S14: the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123, the quantum well layer 122, and the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 are patterned to form a mesa structure 120 partially exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, and the mesa structure 120 is further divided by the trench 13 into a plurality of light emitting cells 100 distributed in an array and independent of each other.

Specifically, an etching process may be applied to pattern the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123, the quantum well layer 122, and the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 to form the mesa structure 120 partially exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121.

Further, a trench 13 defining each light emitting cell 100 is formed on the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, the quantum well layer 122, and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 by applying an etching process to remove the interval region between the mesa structures 120. The etching of the mesa structure 120 and the trench 13 may be performed simultaneously.

The etching process may include dry etching, wet etching, or a combination thereof. The light emitting unit 100 may be a flip-chip light emitting unit 100, a vertical light emitting unit 100, or a front-mounted light emitting unit 100, which is not limited herein.

In an embodiment, the step S13 further includes the following steps: a mirror layer 17 is further formed on the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123.

Specifically, a mirror layer 17 is formed on the surface of the second conductivity type semiconductor layer 123 by a method using electron beam evaporation or magnetron sputtering.

The reflective mirror layer 17 may be made of a transparent conductive material, such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), and the ITO is further coated with another metal mirror or DBR mirror. In other embodiments, the mirror may function as both a mirror and an ohmic contact, such as a metal mirror layer comprising silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), platinum (Pt), or other suitable metal.

Step S14 further includes: the mirror layer 17 is patterned, and the mirror layer 17 is divided by the grooves 13 so that the mirror layers 17 on the plurality of light emitting cells 100 are independent of each other.

An etching process is applied to remove a portion of the mirror layer 17 to form the trenches 13 in the mirror layer 17 and the light emitting epitaxial layer 12, wherein the etching process may include dry etching, wet etching, or a combination thereof.

By forming a plurality of trenches 13 to form a plurality of mirror layers 17 independent of each other and connected to the second conductive type electrode 16, light emitted from the quantum well layer 122 to the mirror layers 17 can be directionally reflected by the mirror layers 17 when the Micro-L ED chip 10 is in operation, so as to reduce leakage loss and total reflection loss, thereby improving the light emitting efficiency of the Micro-L ED chip 10.

As shown in fig. 8, in one embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of:

s15: a first conductive type electrode 15 is formed on a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 exposed by the mesa structure 120, wherein the first conductive type electrode 15 is electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121.

Specifically, the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 may be an n-type semiconductor layer (e.g., an n-type GaN layer), and the corresponding first conductive type electrode 15 is an n-type electrode.

The Cr/Al/Ti metal is formed on the exposed surface of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 to form the first conductive type electrode 15, so that the first conductive type electrode 15 is an n-type electrode, and the first conductive type electrode 15 is electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, for example, in this embodiment, the first conductive type electrode 15 is electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121 by a direct contact manner.

S16: the second conductive type electrode 16 is formed on the top of the mesa structure 120, wherein the second conductive type electrode 16 is electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 of each light emitting cell 100.

Specifically, the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 may be a p-type semiconductor layer (e.g., a p-type GaN layer), and the corresponding second conductive type electrode 16 is a p-type electrode.

The second conductive type electrode 16 is formed by forming a Ni/Au metal on the top of the mesa structure 120, so that the second conductive type electrode 16 is a p-type electrode, and the second conductive type electrode 16 is electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 of each light emitting cell 100.

As shown in fig. 9, in an embodiment, the step S16 further includes the following steps:

s161: the trench 13 is filled with a first insulating layer 18 and covers the outer peripheral wall of the mesa structure 120.

Specifically, the first insulating layer 18 is formed on the trench 13 by sputtering, spraying, a L D or PECVD deposition process, and the outer peripheral wall of the mesa structure 120 is covered with the first insulating layer 18, and the first insulating layer 18 may be formed of one of aluminum nitride, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, bragg reflector DBR, silicon gel, resin or acrylic.

S162: the first insulating layer 18 within the trench 13 and the plurality of light emitting cells 100 are entirely covered with the second conductive type electrode 16.

Specifically, the entire upper surface of the first insulating layer 18 and the plurality of light emitting cells 100 are covered by the second conductive type electrode 16, so that the second conductive type electrode 16 is electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123 of each light emitting cell 100.

As shown in fig. 10, in one embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of:

s17: the first and second conductive-type electrodes 15 and 16 are covered with the second insulating layer 19, and the first and second openings 191 and 192 exposing the first and second conductive-type electrodes 15 and 16, respectively, are formed on the second insulating layer 19.

Specifically, the second insulating layer 19 is covered on the outer peripheral walls of the first conductive-type electrode 15 and the second conductive-type electrode 16 by sputtering, spraying, a L D or PECVD deposition process, and the second insulating layer 19 may be made of one of aluminum nitride, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, bragg reflector DBR, silicon gel, resin or acrylic.

The first and second openings 191 and 192 are formed on the second insulating layer 19 through an etching process, which may include dry etching, wet etching, or a combination thereof. The first opening 191 serves to expose a first region of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 121, the first region corresponding to a region where the first conductive type pad 141 is formed, and the second opening 192 serves to expose a second region of the second conductive type semiconductor layer 123, the second region corresponding to a region where the second conductive type pad 142 is formed.

S18: first and second conductive-type pads 141 and 142 electrically connected to the first and second conductive-type electrodes 15 and 16 through the first and second openings 191 and 192, respectively, are formed.

Specifically, the first conductive type pad 141 and the second conductive type pad 142, which are insulated from each other, are manufactured through a printing, plating, electron beam evaporation, or magnetron sputtering process, wherein the first conductive type pad 141 is electrically connected by directly contacting the first conductive type electrode 15, and the second conductive type pad 142 is electrically connected by directly contacting the second conductive type electrode 16.

As shown in fig. 11 and 5, the present application also proposes a manufacturing method for preparing a Micro-L ED chip 20 according to a second embodiment of the present application, comprising the following steps:

s21: a substrate is provided.

S22: a buffer layer 21 is formed on one main surface of the substrate.

S23: a light emitting epitaxial layer 22 is formed on a main surface of the buffer layer 21 away from the substrate, and the light emitting epitaxial layer 22 includes a first conductivity type semiconductor layer 221, a quantum well layer 222, and a second conductivity type semiconductor layer 223 which are sequentially stacked and disposed on the main surface of the buffer layer 21.

S24: the second conductive type semiconductor layer 223, the quantum well layer 222, and the first conductive type semiconductor layer 221 are patterned and ion-bombarded to form a mesa structure 220 partially exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer 221, and such that the mesa structure 220 is further divided into a plurality of light emitting cells independent of each other by the integral insulating region 28 formed in an ion-bombarded manner.

Specifically, an etching process may be first applied to pattern the second conductive type semiconductor layer 223, the quantum well layer 222, and the first conductive type semiconductor layer 221 to form the mesa structure 220 partially exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer 221. The mesa structure 220 is then placed in an ion bombardment furnace, and an appropriate bombardment ion source is selected to ion bombard the mesa structure 220 and form an integral insulating region 28 on the mesa structure 220 to define a plurality of light emitting cells independent of each other.

Alternatively, an appropriate bombardment ion source may be selected to perform ion bombardment on the second conductivity-type semiconductor layer 223, the quantum well layer 222, and the first conductivity-type semiconductor layer 221 first, so as to form the integral insulating region 28 within the second conductivity-type semiconductor layer 223, the quantum well layer 222, and the first conductivity-type semiconductor layer 221. An etching process is then applied to pattern the integrated insulating region 28, the second conductive type semiconductor layer 223, the quantum well layer 222, and the first conductive type semiconductor layer 221 to form a mesa structure 220 partially exposing the first conductive type semiconductor layer 221 and define a plurality of light emitting cells independent of each other.

Specifically, the ion bombardment mode of this embodiment S24 uses a bombardment ion source selected from ions of the following elements: h (hydrogen), He (helium), N (nitrogen), F (fluorine), Mg (magnesium), Ar (argon), Zn (zinc), O (oxygen), Ti (titanium), Fe (iron), Cr (chromium), Mn (manganese), and Co (cobalt), or any combination thereof; the ion energy of the ion bombardment is from 10KeV to over 1000 KeV.

S25: a first conductive type electrode 25 is formed on a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 221 exposed by the mesa structure 220, wherein the first conductive type electrode 25 is electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 221.

S26: a second conductive type electrode 26 is formed on the top of the mesa structure 220, wherein the second conductive type electrode 26 is electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer 223 of each light emitting cell 200.

The specific processes of steps S21, S22, S23, S25, and S26 can be referred to as S11, S12, S13, S15, and S16 in the above embodiments, which are not described herein again.

Wherein cross-sectional areas of the plurality of light emitting cells in the parallel direction of the main surface of the buffer layer 21 are gradually increased in a direction approaching the first conductive type electrode 25, and/or pitches of the plurality of light emitting cells in the parallel direction of the main surface of the buffer layer 21 are gradually decreased in a direction approaching the first conductive type electrode 25.

In an embodiment, after the step S24, the method further includes: a mirror layer 27 is further formed on the mesa structure 220, wherein the mirror layer 27 is a unitary structure and covers the unitary insulating region 28 and the plurality of light emitting cells.

Specifically, a mirror layer 27 is formed on the surface of the second conductive type semiconductor layer 223 by using an electron beam evaporation or magnetron sputtering evaporation method.

The mirror layer 27 may be made of a transparent conductive material such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) that is coated with other metal mirrors or DBR mirrors. In other embodiments, the mirror may function as both a mirror and an ohmic contact, such as a metal mirror layer comprising silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), platinum (Pt), or other suitable metal.

Unlike step S14, the mirror layer 27 is a unitary structure and covers the unitary insulating region 28 and the plurality of light emitting units 200, so that when the Micro-L ED chip is in operation, the mirror layer 27 can directionally reflect light emitted from the quantum well layer 222 to the mirror layer 27, thereby reducing leakage loss and total reflection loss, and improving the light emitting efficiency of the Micro-L ED chip.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of:

s27: the first and second conductivity-type electrodes 25 and 26 are covered with an insulating layer 29, and a first opening 291 and a second opening 292, which expose the first and second conductivity-type electrodes 25 and 26, respectively, are formed on the insulating layer 29.

S28: first and second conductive-type pads 241 and 242 electrically connected to first and second conductive-type electrodes 25 and 26 through first and second openings 291 and 292, respectively, are formed.

The specific processes of steps S27 and S28 can be referred to as S17 and S18 in the above embodiments, which are not described herein again.

As shown in fig. 12 and 6, the present application also proposes a manufacturing method for preparing a Micro-L ED chip 30 according to a third embodiment of the present application, comprising the following steps:

s31: a substrate is provided.

S32: a buffer layer 31 is formed on one main surface of the substrate.

S33: a light emitting epitaxial layer 32 is formed on a main surface of the buffer layer 31 remote from the substrate, and the light emitting epitaxial layer 32 includes a first conductive type semiconductor layer 321, a quantum well layer 322, and a second conductive type semiconductor layer 323 sequentially stacked and disposed on the main surface of the buffer layer 31.

S34: ion bombardment is performed on first conductive type semiconductor layer 321, quantum well layer 322, and second conductive type semiconductor layer 323 to form a first insulating layer (not shown) within first conductive type semiconductor layer 321, quantum well layer 322, and second conductive type semiconductor layer 323.

S35: first conductivity-type semiconductor layer 321, quantum well layer 322, and second conductivity-type semiconductor layer 323 are patterned along the first insulating layer to form mesa structure 320 partially exposing first conductivity-type semiconductor layer 321, and the remaining first insulating layer is used as first insulating region 381 on the outer circumferential wall of mesa structure 320.

The ion bombardment mode of this embodiment S34 uses a bombardment ion source selected from ions of the following elements: h (hydrogen), He (helium), N (nitrogen), F (fluorine), Mg (magnesium), Ar (argon), Zn (zinc), O (oxygen), Ti (titanium), Fe (iron), Cr (chromium), Mn (manganese), and Co (cobalt), or any combination thereof; the ion energy of the ion bombardment is from 10KeV to over 1000 KeV.

The first conductive type semiconductor layer 321, the quantum well layer 322, and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 323 may be patterned using an etching process, which may include dry etching, wet etching, or a combination thereof.

In this way, patterning can be performed along the first insulating region 381 formed by ion bombardment, avoiding damage to the light-emitting epitaxial layer 32 by conventional etching, and reducing non-radiative recombination.

The specific processes of steps S31, S32, and S33 can be referred to as S11, S12, and S13 in the above embodiments, which are not described herein again.

Since the ion bombardment is firstly carried out in the specific area and then the etching is carried out in the area, the problem of efficiency reduction caused by side wall damage can be avoided.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of:

s36: a second insulating region 382 is formed within the first conductive type semiconductor layer 321, the quantum well layer 322, and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 323 such that the mesa structure 320 is further divided into a plurality of light emitting cells 300 independent of each other by the second insulating region 382.

Specifically, step S36 may be performed simultaneously with step S34, that is, second insulating region 382 is simultaneously formed within first conductive type semiconductor layer 321, quantum well layer 322, and second conductive type semiconductor layer 323 by means of ion bombardment.

Alternatively, after the mesa structure 320 is formed in step S35, the mesa structure 320 may be ion-bombarded, thereby forming the second insulating region 382 in the first conductive type semiconductor layer 321, the quantum well layer 322, and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 323.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises:

s37: a first conductive type electrode 35 is formed on a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 321 exposed by the mesa structure 320, wherein the first conductive type electrode 35 is electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 321.

S38: a second conductive type electrode 36 is formed on the top of the mesa structure 320, wherein the second conductive type electrode 36 is electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer 323 of each light emitting cell 300.

The specific processes of steps S37 and S38 can be referred to as S15 and S16 in the above embodiments, which are not described herein again.

The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating embodiments of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application, and all modifications of equivalent structures and equivalent processes, which are made by the contents of the specification and the drawings of the present application or are directly or indirectly applied to other related technical fields, are also included in the scope of the present application.