Light-emitting device

• US 10,186,636 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Inventors: Desieres, Yohan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghyka, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US15/199,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20170005230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/18 within the light emitting region
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/22 Roughened surfaces, e.g. at the interface between epitaxial layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/24 of the light emitting region, e.g. non-planar junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/325 characterised by the doping materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/38 with a particular shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/42 Transparent materials

Abstract

Device successively including a substrate including a metal layer capable of reflecting a radiation; a first layer of a III/N type alloy, p-type doped, and including a first surface, opposite the metal layer, the first surface being provided with cavities; a light-emitting layer made of a III/N-type alloy, capable of generating the radiation; a second layer of a III/N-type alloy, n-type doped, having the radiation coming out therethrough; wherein a non-metallic filling material transparent in the spectral range is arranged within the cavities.

Claims

1. A light-emitting device for emitting a radiation in a spectral range, successively including:

a substrate including a metal layer capable of reflecting the radiation;

a first layer of a III/N type alloy, p-type doped, and comprising a first surface, opposite the metal layer, the first surface being provided with cavities;

a light-emitting layer of a III/N-type alloy, capable of generating the radiation;

a second layer of a III/N-type alloy, n-type doped, having the radiation coming out therethrough;

wherein a filling material, which is not a pure metal or a metal alloy and is transparent in the spectral range, is arranged within the cavities, and wherein the filling material alone or together with the first layer forms a planar surface and interface with the substrate or with the metal layer, the planar surface being continuous.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the filling material forms a planar interface with the metal layer or with the substrate, and the filling material is electrically conductive to electrically connect the substrate with the first layer, the first layer being completely separated from the substrate by the filling material.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the filling material is an oxide selected from the group consisting of indium-tin oxide, aluminum-doped zinc oxide ZnO, indium-doped zinc oxide ZnO, and gallium-doped zinc oxide ZnO.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the filling material and the first surface of the first layer respectively form first and second coplanar interfaces with the substrate or respectively form first and second coplanar interfaces with the metal layer.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the filling material is selected from the group consisting of titanium dioxide TiO₂, silicon dioxide SiO₂, zinc oxide ZnO, aluminum-doped zinc oxide ZnO, indium-doped zinc oxide ZnO, gallium-doped zinc oxide ZnO, silicon nitride SiN, and indium tin oxide.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the metal layer is based on silver or on aluminum and has a planar face facing the first surface of the first layer to reflect the radiation.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the alloy of the first and second layers and of the light-emitting layer is a binary alloy based on GaN, or a ternary alloy based on InGaN or on AlGaN.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the cavities have a surface density greater than 10⁸ cm⁻

2 at the first surface of the first layer.

9. The device according to claim 2, wherein the cavities are fully filled with the filling material.

10. The device according to claim 4, wherein the cavities are fully filled with the filling material.

11. The device according to claim 4, wherein the filling material is an electrically insulating material.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the metal layer forms a planar mirror reflecting the radiation.

13. A light-emitting device for emitting a radiation in a spectral range, successively including:

a substrate including a metal layer;

a first layer of a III/N type alloy, p-type doped, and comprising a first surface, opposite the metal layer, the first surface being provided with cavities;

a light-emitting layer of a III/N-type alloy, capable of generating the radiation;

a second layer of a III/N-type alloy, n-type doped, having the radiation coming out therethrough;

wherein a filling material, which is not a pure metal or a metal alloy and is transparent in the spectral range, is arranged within the cavities, and wherein the cavities are fully filled by the filling material, the filling material forms a planar surface either alone or together with a surface of the first layer, the planar surface being continuous.

14. A light-emitting device for emitting a radiation in a spectral range, successively including:

a substrate including a metal layer;

a first layer of a III/N type alloy, p-type doped, and comprising a first surface, opposite the metal layer, the first surface being provided with cavities, the first surface of the first layer being in contact with the metal layer and defining a first plane;

a light-emitting layer of a III/N-type alloy, capable of generating the radiation;

a second layer of a III/N-type alloy, n-type doped, having the radiation coming out therethrough;

wherein a filling material, which is not a pure metal or a metal alloy and is transparent in the spectral range, is arranged within the cavities, the filling material forming dielectric balls and the dielectric balls protrudes from the first plane.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the filling material is selected from the group consisting of titanium dioxide TiO₂, silicon nitride SiN, silicon dioxide SiO₂, and zinc oxide ZnO.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein the dielectric balls contact the substrate.