EFFICIENT CARRIER INJECTION IN A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE
First Claim
1. A semiconductor device with efficient carrier injection from a wide bandgap semiconductor material into a narrower bandgap semiconductor material, the semiconductor device comprising:
- a first semiconductor material having a desired bandgap;
an injection structure adjacent the first semiconductor material, the injection structure comprising;
a confining region formed from a second semiconductor material having a wider bandgap than the first semiconductor material;
a transition region positioned between the first and second semiconductor materials and providing ramping of a composition between the first and second semiconductor materials, the transition region comprising a doped intermediate structure, the doped intermediate structure having an inflection in the ramping of the composition wherein (i) the intermediate structure is n-doped and the electron affinity at the inflection is lower than the electron affinity of the confining region or (ii) the intermediate structure is p-doped and the hole affinity at the inflection is higher than the hole affinity of the confining region.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Semiconductor devices such as VCSELs, SELs, LEDs, and HBTs are manufactured to have a wide bandgap material near a narrow bandgap material. Electron injection is improved by an intermediate structure positioned between the wide bandgap material and the narrow bandgap material. The intermediate structure is an inflection, such as a plateau, in the ramping of the composition between the wide bandgap material and the narrow bandgap material. The intermediate structure is highly doped and has a composition with a desired low electron affinity. The injection structure can be used on the p-side of a device with a p-doped intermediate structure at high hole affinity.
107 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A semiconductor device with efficient carrier injection from a wide bandgap semiconductor material into a narrower bandgap semiconductor material, the semiconductor device comprising:
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a first semiconductor material having a desired bandgap; an injection structure adjacent the first semiconductor material, the injection structure comprising; a confining region formed from a second semiconductor material having a wider bandgap than the first semiconductor material; a transition region positioned between the first and second semiconductor materials and providing ramping of a composition between the first and second semiconductor materials, the transition region comprising a doped intermediate structure, the doped intermediate structure having an inflection in the ramping of the composition wherein (i) the intermediate structure is n-doped and the electron affinity at the inflection is lower than the electron affinity of the confining region or (ii) the intermediate structure is p-doped and the hole affinity at the inflection is higher than the hole affinity of the confining region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A light emitting semiconductor device with efficient electron injection from a wide bandgap semiconductor material into a narrower bandgap semiconductor material, comprising:
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an active region comprising one or more quantum wells and one or more quantum well barriers, wherein the one or more quantum well barriers; an injection structure adjacent the active region, the injection structure being formed from an semiconductor material comprising AlGaAs, the injection structure comprising; an n-doped confining region having the formula AlxGa1-xAs where x is in a range from about 0.7 to about 1.0; and an n-doped intermediate structure positioned between the confining region and the active region, the intermediate structure having the formula AlxGa1-xAs where x is in a range from about 0.35 to about 0.7. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A light emitting semiconductor device with efficient electron injection from a wide bandgap semiconductor material into a narrower bandgap semiconductor material, comprising:
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an active region comprising one or more quantum wells and one or more quantum well barriers, wherein the one or more quantum well barriers; an injection structure adjacent the active region, the injection structure being formed from an semiconductor material comprising AlInGaP, the injection structure comprising; an n-doped confining region having the formula (AlxGa1-x)InP where x is in a range from about 0.8 to about 1.0; and an n-doped intermediate structure positioned between the confining region and the active region, the intermediate structure having the formula (AlxGa1-x)InP, where x is in a range from about 0.4 to about 0.8. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification