Radiation-emitting semiconductor component

• US 20060222040A1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSRAM OLED GMBH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Wirth, Ralph, Streubel, Klaus, Schmid, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 7,283,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/99
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/105 with a resonant cavity structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/405 Reflective materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/465 with a resonant cavity structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0217 Removal of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04256 characterised by the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18308 having a special structure for lateral current or light confinement
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/18375 based on metal reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34326 with a well layer based on InGa(Al)P, e.g. red laser

Abstract

A radiation-emitting semiconductor component, having a semiconductor layer sequence (1) with an active zone (2) provided for radiation generation and a first mirror arranged downstream of the active zone. The first mirror comprises a metal layer (4) and an intermediate layer (3) made of a radiation-transmissive and electrically conductive material, said intermediate layer being arranged on that side of the metal layer (4) which faces the active zone. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component is provided for operation with an optical resonator and for generating predominantly incoherent radiation as an RCLED or the radiation-emitting semiconductor component being provided for operation with an external optical resonator and for generating predominantly coherent radiation as a VECSEL.

Claims

1. A radiation-emitting semiconductor component, comprising:

a semiconductor layer sequence (1) having an active zone (2) adapted for radiation generation; and

a first mirror arranged downstream of the active zone;

wherein said first mirror comprises a metal layer (4) and an intermediate layer (3) made of a radiation-transmissive and electrically conductive material, said intermediate layer being arranged on that side of the metal layer (4) which faces the active zone; and

wherein the radiation-emitting semiconductor component is adapted for operation with an optical resonator and for generating incoherent radiation as an RCLED or for operation with an external optical resonator and for generating coherent radiation as a VECSEL.

2. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the intermediate layer (3) is at least partly formed in such a way that a radiation component reflected at the metal layer (4) and a radiation component reflected at that side of the intermediate layer (3) which faces the semiconductor layer sequence (1) are constructively superimposed.

3. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the intermediate layer (3) has a thickness D which satisfies the relationship

$D=\frac{\lambda }{}$

4⁢

nz+k·

λ

2⁢

nz-1,

where

λ

denotes the vacuum wavelength of the radiation generated in the active zone (2), n_z denotes the refractive index of the intermediate layer (3), k denotes a natural number including zero and 1 denotes a finite residual length other than zero.

4. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the residual length 1 is less than one quarter of the wavelength λ

′

, (λ

/n_z), preferably less than one eighth of the wavelength λ

′

, where λ

′

denotes the wavelength of the radiation generated in the active zone (2) in the intermediate layer (3).

5. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the intermediate layer contains an oxide, in particular a metal oxide.

6. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the first mirror (7) comprises a Bragg mirror (19).

7. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the metal layer (4) contains Au and the intermediate layer (3) contains ZnO.

8. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 6,

wherein

the Bragg mirror (19) is arranged on that side of the intermediate layer (3) which faces the active zone (2).

9. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 6,

wherein

the Bragg mirror (19) has not more than 20, semiconductor layer pairs.

10. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the resonator has the first mirror (7) and a second mirror (13), the second mirror being arranged on the side of the active zone (2) which is opposite to the first mirror.

11. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the semiconductor component is embodied as an RCLED and the optical resonator is an internal resonator.

12. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 10,

wherein

the reflectivity of the first mirror (7) is greater than the reflectivity of the second mirror (13).

13. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 10,

wherein

the radiation is coupled out from the semiconductor component through the second mirror.

14. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 10,

wherein

the second mirror is embodied as a Bragg mirror.

15. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 6,

wherein

the Bragg mirror or the Bragg mirrors contains or contain a III-V semiconductor material, preferably In_xGa_yAl_1-x-yP, In_xGa_yAl_1-x-yN or In_xGa_yAl_1-x-yAs, in each case where 0≦

x≦

1, 0≦

y≦

1 and x+y≦

1.

16. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

a wavelength of the radiation generated in the active zone lies in the visible, in particular red, spectral range.

17. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the semiconductor layer sequence (1) is arranged on a carrier (6).

18. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 17,

wherein

the carrier (6) is different from a growth substrate (10) of the semiconductor layer sequence (1).

19. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 17,

wherein

the carrier (6) comprises a heat sink.

20. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

a contact structure (8, 9) for making electrical contact with the semiconductor component is arranged on that side of the active zone which is remote from the first mirror.

21. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 20,

wherein

an electrical insulation material is arranged below the region of the active zone which is overlapped by the contact structure (8, 9).

22. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the radiation-emitting semiconductor component is a thin-film component.

23. The radiation-emitting semiconductor component as claimed, in claim 1,

wherein

the semiconductor layer sequence (1), in particular the active zone, contains at least one III-V semiconductor material, preferably a material from the material systems In_xGa_yAl_1-x-yP, In_xGa_yAl_1-x-yN or In_xGa_yAl_1-x-yAs, in each case where 0≦

x≦

1, 0≦

y≦

1 and x+y≦

1.