Semiconductor light emitting device

• US 20020014631A1
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Agency For Science Technology and Research, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan)
• Original Assignee: Agency For Science Technology and Research, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan)
• Inventors: Niki, Shigeru, Matsubara, Koji, Fons, Paul, Iwata, Kakuya, Nakahara, Ken, Yamada, Akimasa
• Application Number:
  US09/891,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20020014631A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/89
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/26 Materials of the light emitting region
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/28 containing only elements of Group II and Group VI of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/327 in AIIBVI compounds, e.g. ZnCdSe-laser

Abstract

In such a construction that an active layer (5) for emitting light when a current is injected thereto is sandwiched between an n-type clad layer (4) and a p-type clad layer (6) which are made of a material having a larger band gap than that of the active layer, the above-mentioned active layer (5) is made of a compound semiconductor containing Zn, o, and a group VI type element other than O. As a result, it is possible to obtain such a semiconductor light emitting device as a blue type LED or LD, which is made of the harmless material and does not include Cd specifically, while using a ZnO-based compound semiconductor of narrow band gap with fewer crystal defects and excellent in crystallinity as a material of its active layer sandwiched between clad layers, and also improving its light emitting properties.

Claims

1. A semiconductor light emitting device comprising:

an active layer for emitting light when a current is injected thereto; and

an n-type clad layer and a p-type clad layer which are made of a material having a larger band gap than said active layer and which sandwich said active layer therebetween,

wherein said active layer is made of a compound semiconductor containing Zn, O, and a group VI element other than O.

2. The semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said clad layer is made of an oxide compound semiconductor containing Zn or an oxide compound semiconductor containing Mg and Zn.

3. The semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said n-type and p-type clad layers are made of a group III nitride compound semiconductor.

4. The semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said active layer is made of ZnO_1-xS_x or ZnO_1-ySe_y.

5. The semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said active layer contains Zn, O, S, and Se.

11. The semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, wherein a substrate for forming thereon a semiconductor lamination including said n-type clad layer, said active layer, and said p-type clad layer is made of conductive material.

6. A semiconductor laser comprising:

an active layer for emitting light when a current is injected thereto; and

an n-type clad layer and a p-type clad layer which are made of a material having a larger band gap than said active layer and which sandwich said active layer therebetween,

wherein said active layer is made of a bulk layer of ZnO_1-xS_x or ZnO_1-ySe or a quantum well structure obtained by modifying a composition of ZnO_1-xS_x or ZnO_1-ySe_y.

7. The semiconductor laser of claim 6, wherein said active layer is provided with light guide layers on both sides thereof.

8. The semiconductor laser of claim 6, wherein a stripe-shaped electrode is formed on a surface of a semiconductor lamination including said n-type clad layer, said active layer, and said p-type clad layer, and wherein a current injecting region in said active layer is defined along a shape of said strip-shaped electrode.

9. The semiconductor laser of claim 6, wherein etching for forming a mesa-type shape is carried out from a surface of a semiconductor lamination including said n-type clad layer, said active layer, and said p-type clad layer to part of an upper layer of said n-type clad layer or said p-type clad layer, and wherein a current injecting region in said active layer is defined along a shape of said mesa-type shape.

10. The semiconductor laser of claim 6, wherein a current restricting layer having a stripe groove is formed in either one of said n-type clad layer or p-type clad layer, and wherein a current injecting region in said active layer is defined along a shape of said stripe groove.