Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Hiroki Ohbo

Masayuki Hata

Nobuhiko Hayashi

Tsutomu Yamaguchi

Takashi Kano

Tatsuya Kunisato

Yasuhiko Nomura

Hiroaki Izu

Yasuyuki Bessho

Masayuki Shono

Ryoji Hiroyama

Kiyoshi Oota

Kunio Takeuchi

Takahiro Mishima

Koji Tominaga

Yasumitsu Kunoh

Seiichi Tokunaga

Provided is a solar cell with improved photoelectric conversion efficiency. The solar cell includes a photoelectric conversion body and first and second electrodes. The photoelectric conversion body includes a substrate made of semiconductor material. The first and second electrodes are disposed at intervals on one main surface of the photoelectric conversion body. Terraces each formed of a crystal plane are provided on a main surface of the substrate on the one main surface side of the photoelectric conversion body. At least one of the terraces exists between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Solar cell and method of manufacturing the same

A semiconductor laser device includes a first semiconductor laser element formed on a surface of a first conductive type substrate, obtained by stacking a first conductive type first semiconductor layer, a first active layer and a second conductive type second semiconductor layer successively from the first conductive type substrate and a second semiconductor laser element obtained by successively stacking a first conductive type third semiconductor layer, a second active layer and a second conductive type fourth semiconductor layer, wherein the third semiconductor layer is electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer by bonding a side of the third semiconductor layer to the surface of the first conductive type substrate through a fusible layer.

Semiconductor laser device and method of manufacturing the same

A semiconductor laser device capable of reducing the threshold current and improving luminous efficiency and a method of fabricating the same are obtained. This semiconductor laser device comprises a semiconductor substrate having a principal surface and a semiconductor element layer, formed on the principal surface of the semiconductor substrate, having a principal surface substantially inclined with respect to the principal surface of the semiconductor substrate and including an emission layer.

Semiconductor laser device and method of fabricating the same

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor laser device comprises steps of forming a first semiconductor laser device substrate having first grooves for cleavage on a surface thereof, bonding a second semiconductor laser device substrate onto the surface side having the first grooves and thereafter cleaving the first and second semiconductor laser device substrates along at least the first grooves.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor laser device, semiconductor laser device and light apparatus

An integrated semiconductor laser device capable of improving the properties of a laser beam and reducing the cost for optical axis adjustment is provided. This integrated semiconductor laser device comprises a first semiconductor laser element including a first emission region and having either a projecting portion or a recess portion and a second semiconductor laser element including a second emission region and having either a recess portion or a projecting portion. Either the projecting portion or the recess portion of the first semiconductor laser element is fitted to either the recess portion or the projecting portion of the second semiconductor laser element.

Integrated semiconductor laser device and method of fabricating the same

A nitride-based semiconductor element having excellent element characteristics is obtained by forming a nitride-based semiconductor layer having excellent crystallinity without performing a long etching process. This nitride-based semiconductor element and the method thereof includes forming a mask layer having a recess portion on a substantially flat upper surface of an underlayer to partially expose the upper surface of the underlayer. A nitride-based semiconductor layer is laterally grown on the exposed part of the underlayer and the mask layer while forming a void on the recess portion of the mask layer. Thus, the strain of the laterally grown nitride-based semiconductor layer is so relaxed that the crystallinity of the nitride-based semiconductor layer is improved.

Method of forming a nitride-based semiconductor

A nitride-based semiconductor element having excellent element characteristics is obtained by fabricating a nitride-based semiconductor layer having excellent crystallinity without performing extended etching. The nitride-based semiconductor element comprises a mask layer, having a recess portion, formed on a substantially flat upper surface of an underlayer to partially expose the upper surface of the underlayer, a nitride-based semiconductor layer formed on the exposed part of the underlayer and the mask layer while forming a void on the recess portion of the mask layer, and a nitride-based semiconductor element layer, formed on the nitride-based semiconductor layer, having an element region. During laterally growth, strain is relaxed thereby improving crystallinity. The underlayer is formed in a substantially flat shape, thereby avoiding extended etching.

Nitride-based semiconductor element

In the manufacture of a semiconductor laser device, sequentially grown on a sapphire substrate in the following order are a buffer layer, a first undoped GaN layer, a first super lattice defect reducing layer, a second undoped GaN layer, a second super lattice defect reducing layer, a third undoped GaN layer, a third super lattice defect reducing layer and a fourth undoped GaN layer. A device structure is then formed thereon. The first to third super lattice defect reducing layers each include five pairs of InGaN and AlGaN films alternately placed on one another in this order.

Nitride-based semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

An n-current blocking layer is formed by alternately stacking an n-first current blocking layer of a nitride based semiconductor containing Al or B and an n-second current blocking layer of a nitride based semiconductor containing In. In a semiconductor laser device having a real refractive index guided structure, the mean refractive index of the n-current block layer is smaller than the refractive indices of a p-first cladding layer and a p-second cladding layer. In a semiconductor laser device having a loss guided structure, the mean band gap of the n-current blocking layer is substantially equal to or smaller than the mean band gap of an active layer.

Semiconductor laser device

In the manufacture of a semiconductor laser device, a low temperature buffer layer is grown on a sapphire substrate at a growth rate of 25 to 30 &angst;/sec. On the low temperature buffer layer, an n-GaN layer, a anti-crack layer, an n-cladding layer, an n-guide layer, an MQW active layer, a p-carrier blocking layer, a p-guide layer, a p-cladding layer and a p-contact layer are grown in this order. The growth of the low temperature buffer layer at the high growth rate allows a good low temperature buffer layer to be stably provided with good reproducibility. Thus, good crystallinity and electrical characteristics can stably be provided in the above layers.

Method of forming nitride-based semiconductor layer, and method of manufacturing nitride-based semiconductor device

A nitride-based semiconductor element enabling formation of a nitride-based semiconductor layer having low dislocation density, consisting of a material different from that of an underlayer, on the underlayer with a small thickness is obtained. This nitride-based semiconductor element comprises a plurality of mask layers formed at a prescribed interval to be in contact with the upper surface of the underlayer while partially exposing the underlayer and the nitride-based semiconductor layer, formed on the upper surface of the underlayer and the mask layers, consisting of the material different from that of the underlayer. The minimum distance between adjacent mask layers is smaller than the width of an exposed part of the underlayer located between the adjacent mask layers.

Nitride-based semiconductor element and method of forming nitride-based semiconductor

An AlGaN buffer layer, an undoped GaN layer, an n-GaN contact layer, an n-InGaN crack preventing layer, an n-AlGaN cladding layer, an MQW active layer, and a p-AlGaN cladding layer are formed in this order on a sapphire substrate. A ridge portion is formed in the p-AlGaN cladding layer, and a p-GaN cap layer is formed on an upper surface of the ridge portion. An n-AlGaN first regrown low-temperature buffer layer and an n-AlGaN current blocking layer are formed in this order on a flat portion and on side surfaces of the ridge portion in the p-AlGaN cladding layer. A p-AlGaN second regrown low-temperature buffer layer and a p-GaN contact layer are formed on the n-AlGaN current blocking layer and on the upper surface of the ridge portion.

Method of fabricating semiconductor device

A nitride-based semiconductor element capable of effectively preventing a nitride-based semiconductor layer of a first area from cracking and reducing the degree of warpage of a substrate is obtained. This nitride-based semiconductor element comprises a first region formed on a prescribed region of a substrate and provided with an element including a first nitride-based semiconductor layer having a prescribed thickness and a second region formed on a region of the substrate other than the first region and provided with the first nitride-based semiconductor layer with a thickness smaller than the thickness in the first region. Thus, strain easily concentrates to the second region provided with the first nitride-based semiconductor layer with the smaller thickness, whereby strain of the first region provided with the element is relaxed.

Growing community of inventors

Moriguchi, Japan

Hiroki Ohbo