| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a group-III nitride semiconductor optical element capable of reducing strain of an active layer. <P>SOLUTION: In a group-III nitride semiconductor optical element 11a, a principal plane 13a of a semiconductor region 13 is nonpolar or semipolar. A first conductivity type buffer layer 15 is formed on the principal plane 13a of the semiconductor region 13, and the principal plane 13a forms an angle of 10° or more relative to the reference plane RC. A material of the first conductivity type buffer layer 15 is different from that of the semiconductor region 13. A carrier block layer 19 comprises a third hexagonal group-III nitride semiconductor. An active layer 17 contains a gallium nitride-based semiconductor layer 21a. The gallium nitride-based semiconductor layer includes strain while the first conductivity type buffer layer 15 performs lattice relaxation on the principal plane 13a of the semiconductor region 13. By the lattice relaxation of the first conductivity type buffer layer 15, stress due to the difference of lattice constant between a material of the gallium nitride-based semiconductor layer 21a and a material of the principal plane 13a of the semiconductor region 13 is not applied on the active layer 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT |
