Patent ID: 8357607

Claim:
A method for fabricating a nitride-based semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a substrate; (b) forming on the substrate a nitride-based semiconductor multilayer structure including a p-type GaN-based semiconductor region, a surface of the p-type GaN-based semiconductor region being an m-plane; and (c) forming an electrode on the surface of the p-type GaN-based semiconductor region of the semiconductor multilayer structure, wherein step (c) includes forming an Mg alloy layer on the surface of the p-type Gan-based semiconductor region, the Mg alloy layer being made of Mg and a metal selected from a group consisting of Pt, Mo, and Pd, wherein a heat treatment is performed to anneal the electrode at a temperature of 500°C. to 700°C., and wherein a contact resistance of the electrode arranged on the m-plane and annealed at a temperature of 500°C. to 700°C. is less than 1.0×10 −02 Ω cm 2 , and is lower than a contact resistance when the electrode is arranged on a c-plane of the same p-type semiconductor region and annealed at a temperature of 500°C. to 700°C.