LIGHT EMITTING DIODE WTH DEGENERATE COUPLING STRUCTURE
First Claim
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1. A method of forming a light emitting device (LED) that incorporates a Group III nitride layer, the method comprising:
- forming an n-type Group III nitride active region on an n-type semiconductor layer;
forming a p-type semiconductor layer on the active region;
forming a degenerate junction structure on the p-type semiconductor layer;
forming an n-type contact layer on the degenerate junction structure, wherein the degenerate junction structure includes at least one p-n junction for coupling the p-type semiconductor layer to the n-type contact layer to thereby permit electric current flow from the n-type contact layer to the active region.
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Abstract
An electronic device includes a conductive n-type substrate, a Group III nitride active region, an n-type Group III-nitride layer in vertical relationship to the substrate and the active layer, at least one p-type layer, and means for providing a non-rectifying conductive path between the p-type layer and the n-type layer or the substrate. The non-rectifying conduction means may include a degenerate junction structure or a patterned metal layer.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method of forming a light emitting device (LED) that incorporates a Group III nitride layer, the method comprising:
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forming an n-type Group III nitride active region on an n-type semiconductor layer;
forming a p-type semiconductor layer on the active region;
forming a degenerate junction structure on the p-type semiconductor layer;
forming an n-type contact layer on the degenerate junction structure, wherein the degenerate junction structure includes at least one p-n junction for coupling the p-type semiconductor layer to the n-type contact layer to thereby permit electric current flow from the n-type contact layer to the active region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of forming a light emitting device (LED) that incorporates a Group III nitride layer, the method comprising:
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forming a degenerate junction structure on an n-type semiconductor layer, wherein the degenerate junction structure comprises a degenerately doped n-type epilayer on the n-type semiconductor layer and a degenerately doped p-type epilayer on the n-type epilayer;
forming a p-type semiconductor layer on the p-type epilayer of the degenerate junction structure;
forming an n-type Group III nitride active region on the p-type semiconductor layer;
forming an n-type semiconductor contact layer on the active region;
wherein the degenerate junction structure couples the p-type semiconductor layer to the LED anode to thereby permit electric current flow from the anode to the active region. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of forming a light emitting device (LED) that conducts a forward biased electrical current from the anode contact to the cathode contact, comprising:
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forming a Group III nitride active region for light emission from the LED;
forming a minority carrier source layer adjacent the active region for injecting minority carriers into the active region;
forming a tunnel diode structure adjacent the minority carrier source layer, the tunnel diode structure having a degenerately doped n-type semiconductor epilayer and a degenerately doped p-type semiconductor epilayer that permit quantum mechanical tunneling of carriers between the epilayers of the tunnel diode; and
positioning the tunnel diode structure between layers of the LED having opposite conductivity type to thereby permit electric current flow from the minority carrier source layer to the cathode of the device.
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- 26. A method of forming an LED according to claim 26 wherein the carrier concentration in each layer of the tunnel diode is above about 1×
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