Optical devices featuring textured semiconductor layers
First Claim
1. A semiconductor device for use as an optical sensor, solar cell or emitter, the device comprising:
- a substrate, the substrate comprising a material selected from the group consisting of sapphire, silicon carbide, zinc oxide, silicon, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, aluminum nitride and aluminum gallium nitride;
a first layer on said substrate comprising of III-V material, wherein a surface of the first layer has a textured topology; and
one or more quantum well layers alternating with barrier layers and textured by the surface of the first layer, the barrier layers comprising III-V material and the quantum well layers comprising III-V material.
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Abstract
A semiconductor sensor, solar cell or emitter or a precursor therefore having a substrate and textured semiconductor layer deposited onto the substrate. The layer can be textured as grown on the substrate or textured by replicating a textured substrate surface. The substrate or first layer is then a template for growing and texturing other semiconductor layers from the device. The textured layers are replicated to the surface from the substrate to enhance light extraction or light absorption. Multiple quantum wells, comprising several barrier and quantum well layers, are deposited as alternating textured layers. The texturing in the region of the quantum well layers greatly enhances internal quantum efficiency if the semiconductor is polar and the quantum wells are grown along the polar direction. This is the case in nitride semiconductors grown along the polar [0001] or [000-1] directions.
123 Citations
52 Claims
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1. A semiconductor device for use as an optical sensor, solar cell or emitter, the device comprising:
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a substrate, the substrate comprising a material selected from the group consisting of sapphire, silicon carbide, zinc oxide, silicon, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, aluminum nitride and aluminum gallium nitride;
a first layer on said substrate comprising of III-V material, wherein a surface of the first layer has a textured topology; and
one or more quantum well layers alternating with barrier layers and textured by the surface of the first layer, the barrier layers comprising III-V material and the quantum well layers comprising III-V material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 37)
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15. A semiconductor device, the device comprising:
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a substrate, the substrate comprising a material selected from the group consisting of sapphire, silicon carbide, zinc oxide, silicon, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride and aluminum nitride aluminum gallium nitride; and
a first layer comprising a group III-V material, the first layer textured as grown on the substrate, wherein a surface of the layer has a textured topology. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A semiconductor device, the device comprising:
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a substrate, the substrate comprising a material selected from the group consisting of sapphire, silicon carbide, zinc oxide, silicon, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, aluminum nitride and AlGaN, wherein the substrate comprises a textured surface;
a first layer comprising a group III-V material and a dopant, the layer having an upper surface which replicates texture of the textured surface of the substrate; and
a second layer, the second layer comprising a group III-V material. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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38. A method for fabrication of a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
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providing a substrate, the substrate comprising a material selected from the group consisting of sapphire, silicon carbide, zinc oxide, silicon, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, aluminum nitride and aluminum gallium nitride; and
depositing a first layer comprising a group III-V material onto the substrate, wherein the layer is textured as grown on the substrate, the layer comprising a surface with a textured topology. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 52)
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46. A method for fabrication of a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
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providing a substrate, the substrate comprising a material selected from the group consisting of sapphire, silicon carbide, zinc oxide, silicon, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, aluminum nitride and aluminum gallium nitride wherein the substrate comprises a textured surface;
depositing a first layer onto the substrate, wherein the layer comprises a group III-V material, the layer having an upper surface textured by the surface of the substrate; and
depositing a second layer comprising a group III-V material onto the layer. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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Specification