METHOD FOR FABRICATION OF SEMIPOLAR (Al, In, Ga, B)N BASED LIGHT EMITTING DIODES

• US 20090250686A1
• Filed: 04/06/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Hirasawa, Hirohiko, Speck, James S., DenBaars, Steven P., Nakamura, Shuji, Sato, Hitoshi, Chung, Roy B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,148,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/13
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02579 P-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02609 Crystal orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/02 characterised by the semiconductor bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/08 with a plurality of light emitting regions, e.g. laterally discontinuous light emitting layer or photoluminescent region integrated within the semiconductor body H01L27/15 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/755 Nanosheet or quantum barrier/well, i.e. layer structure having one dimension or thickness of 100 nm or less

Abstract

A yellow Light Emitting Diode (LED) with a peak emission wavelength in the range 560-580 nm is disclosed. The LED is grown on one or more III-nitride-based semipolar planes and an active layer of the LED is composed of indium (In) containing single or multi-quantum well structures. The LED quantum wells have a thickness in the range 2-7 nm. A multi-color LED or white LED comprised of at least one semipolar yellow LED is also disclosed.

Claims

1. At least one yellow, amber or red Light Emitting Diode (LED), grown on at least one III-nitride-based semipolar plane, with a peak emission wavelength longer than 560 nm and an output power of more than 3.5 mW at a current of 20 mA.

2. The LED of claim 1, further comprising an active layer for emitting light, wherein the semipolar plane enables a thickness of the active layer that is sufficiently thick, an Indium (In) composition of the active layer that is sufficiently high, and a crystal quality of the active layer that is sufficiently high, so that the light has the peak emission wavelength longer than 560 nm and the output power of more than 3.5 mW at a current of 20 mA.

3. The LED of claim 1, wherein an active layer of the LED is comprised of indium (In) containing single or multi-quantum well structures comprising at least one quantum well, and the quantum well has the crystal quality sufficiently high to obtain the output power of more than 3.5 mW at the current of 20 mA.

4. The LED of claim 3, wherein the quantum well has the thickness in a range from 2 nm to 7 nm.

5. The LED of claim 3, wherein the crystal quality is a dislocation density of 9×

10⁹ cm<sup>−

2</sup> or less.

6. A multi-color LED device comprised of the LED of claim 1.

7. A white LED device comprised of the LED of claim 1.

8. A multi-color Light Emitting Diode (LED) device comprised of at least one semipolar yellow LED.

9. The multi-color LED device of claim 8, wherein the semipolar yellow LED is a III-nitride based LED grown on a III-nitride based {11-22} semipolar plane.

10. A white Light Emitting Diode (LED) device comprised of at least one semipolar yellow LED.

11. The white LED device of claim 10, wherein the semipolar yellow LED is a III-nitride based LED grown on a III-nitride based {11-22} semipolar plane.

12. A white LED device comprised a blue-light emitting quantum well and a yellow-light emitting quantum well grown on one or more III-nitride based semipolar planes.

13. The white LED device of claim 12, further comprising multi quantum wells that are comprised of:

the blue-light emitting quantum well that is a first InGaN quantum well, with a first In composition for emitting blue light; and

the yellow-light emitting quantum well that is a second InGaN quantum well, with a second In composition for emitting yellow light.

14. A method of fabricating a yellow, amber, or red Light Emitting Diode (LED), comprising growing the LED on at least one III-nitride-based semipolar plane, so that the LED emits light with a peak emission wavelength longer than 560 nm and an output power of more than 3.5 mW at a current of 20 mA.

15. A method of fabricating a white LED device emitting white light, comprising growing blue-light emitting quantum wells and yellow-light emitting quantum wells on one or more III-nitride based semipolar planes.

16. A method of emitting white light from an LED, comprising emitting blue light and from blue-light emitting quantum wells and yellow light from yellow-light emitting quantum wells, wherein the blue light emitting quantum wells and the yellow light emitting quantum wells are grown on one or more III-nitride based semipolar planes.