Patent ID: 8268706

Claim:
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising the steps of: (a) growing a p-type gallium nitride-based compound semiconductor layer by performing a metal organic chemical vapor deposition process in a heated atmosphere so that the crystal-growing plane of the semiconductor layer is an m plane; (b) cooling the p-type gallium nitride-based compound semiconductor layer after the step (a) has been carried out; (c) growing three or more well layers before the step (a); and (d) growing n-type semiconductor layer on a substrate before the step (c), wherein the step (d) includes heating the substrate with source, n-type dopant and carrier gases supplied into a reaction chamber, the carrier gas including hydrogen, the step (c) includes growing the well layers with the supply of the hydrogen gas to the reaction chamber cut off, each well layer having a thickness of 5 nm or more, the step (a) includes supplying hydrogen gas to the reaction chamber in which the p-type gallium nitride-based compound semiconductor layer is grown, and the step (b) includes cooling the p-type gallium nitride-based compound semiconductor layer with the supply of the hydrogen gas to the reaction chamber cut off.