Semiconductor micro-cavity light emitting diode

• US 20070096127A1
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Sharma, Rajat, Nakamura, Shuji, DenBaars, Steven, Pattison, P.
• Application Number:
  US11/510,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20070096127A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/98
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0093 Wafer bonding; Removal of the growth substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/145 with a current-blocking structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/405 Reflective materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/465 with a resonant cavity structure

Abstract

A spontaneously light emitting nitride-based active region placed within a micro-cavity bounded by a first mirror and a second mirror, wherein the micro-cavity has been thinned to a resonant thickness within a micro-cavity regime.

Claims

1. A micro-cavity light emitting diode (MCLED), comprising:

a spontaneously light emitting nitride-based active region placed within a micro-cavity bounded by a first mirror and a second mirror, wherein the micro-cavity has been thinned to a resonant thickness within a micro-cavity regime.

2. The MCLED of claim 1, further comprising n-type gallium nitride (GaN) and p-type GaN bounded by the first and second mirrors.

3. The MCLED of claim 2, wherein a p-type GaN thickness locates the nitride-based active region on an anti-node of a standing optical wave.

4. The MCLED of claim 2, wherein the first mirror comprises a highly reflective metal mirror at one end of the micro-cavity that makes good electrical contact with the n-GaN and the second mirror comprises an interfacial mirror at another end of the micro-cavity.

5. The MCLED of claim 2, further comprising a current confinement layer deposited on the p-type GaN.

6. The MCLED of claim 2, wherein the p-GaN, n-GaN or nitride-based active region is ion implanted.

7. The MCLED of claim 1, wherein the resonant thickness is a micro-cavity length L_c satisfying a resonance requirement approximately equal to an integral multiple of half-wavelengths of light emitted by the nitride based active region, such that:

L_c≈

m_c×

λ

/2n

where m_c is a cavity order defined as an integer multiplied by [2nL_c/λ

], n is an index of refraction for the nitride-based active region at a wavelength λ

8. The MCLED of claim 7, wherein the micro-cavity length is reduced from the resonance requirement in order to detune the micro-cavity so the micro-cavity is in resonance with emitted light only when the light is emitted at an angle off of normal (90°

) and the angle is within a critical angle for light emission for the MCLED.

9. The MCLED of claim 1, wherein the nitride-based active region is placed, with respect to the first or second mirror, at an anti-node of an optical wave within the micro-cavity.

10. The MCLED of claim 1, wherein the nitride-based active region is less than λ

/4n thick to allow the active region to be located at an anti-node of a standing wave within the micro-cavity, n is an index of refraction for the nitride-based active region at a wavelength λ

11. The MCLED of claim 1, wherein the nitride-based active region is a compound active region comprised of localized active regions located on adjacent anti-nodes of a standing optical wave.

12. The MCLED of claim 1, wherein the first mirror is a single distributed Bragg reflector.

13. The MCLED of claim 1, wherein the second mirror is a single distributed Bragg reflector.