LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20140225150A1
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Published: 08/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lextar Electronics Corporation (Ennostar, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lextar Electronics Corporation (Ennostar, Inc.)
• Inventors: HSIAO, Chia-Lin, Hsu, Nai-Wei, Wang, Te-Chung, Yang, Tsung-Yu
• Granted Patent: US 9,287,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/99
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0016 relating to electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0008 having p-n or hi-lo junctions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/005 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/14 with a carrier transport control structure, e.g. highly-doped semiconductor layer or current-blocking structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/38 with a particular shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/387 with a plurality of electrode regions in direct contact with the semiconductor body and being electrically interconnected by another electrode layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/40 Materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/42 Transparent materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/734 Fullerenes, i.e. graphene-based structures, such as nanohorns, nanococoons, nanoscrolls or fullerene-like structures, e.g. WS2 or MoS2 chalcogenide nanotubes, planar C3N4, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/95 Electromagnetic energy

Abstract

The disclosure provides a light-emitting diode and a method for manufacturing the same. The light-emitting diode comprises a N-type metal electrode, a N-type semiconductor layer contacted with the N-type metal electrode, a P-type semiconductor layer, a light-emitting layer interposed between the N-type semiconductor layer and the P-type semiconductor layer, a low-contact-resistance material layer positioned on the P-type semiconductor layer, a transparent conductive layer covered the low-contact-resistance material layer and the P-type semiconductor layer, and a P-type metal electrode positioned on the transparent conductive layer.

Claims

1. A light-emitting diode comprising:

an N-type metal electrode;

an N-type semiconductor layer contacting the N-type metal electrode;

a P-type semiconductor layer;

a light-emitting layer sandwiched between the N-type semiconductor layer and the P-type semiconductor layer;

a low-contact-resistance material layer positioned on a part of the P-type semiconductor layer;

a transparent conductive layer covering the low-contact-resistance material layer and the P-type semiconductor layer; and

a P-type metal electrode positioned on the transparent conductive layer.

2. The light-emitting diode of claim 1, wherein the N-type semiconductor layer comprises a mesa structure having a first area and a second area, wherein the first area has a higher level than that of the second area, the light-emitting layer and the P-type semiconductor layer is formed on the first area, and the N-type metal electrode is positioned on the second area of the mesa structure.

3. The light-emitting diode of claim 1, wherein the low contact resistance layer surrounds the P-type metal electrode, or is positioned between vertical projection regions of the P-type metal electrode and the N-type metal electrode.

4. The light-emitting diode of claim 1, wherein the N-type metal electrode and the P-type metal electrode are positioned on two opposite sides of the light-emitting layer.

5. The light-emitting diode of claim 4, wherein the low-contact-resistance material layer completely or partially surrounds the P-type metal electrode.

6. The light-emitting diode of claim 1, wherein the low-contact-resistance material layer is in a round-hole pattern, a stripe pattern, a lattice pattern, or a combination thereof.

7. The light-emitting diode of claim 1, wherein the material of the low-contact-resistance material layer is graphene or a metal selected from the group comprising of nickel (Ni), gold (Au), chromium (Cr), platinum (Pt), rhodium (Rh), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), copper (Cu) and the combinations thereof.

8. The light-emitting diode of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the low-contact-resistance material layer is in a range of 0.1 nm to 1000 nm.

9. The light-emitting diode of claim 1, further comprising a metal-indium contact layer positioned between the P-type semiconductor layer and the low-contact-resistance material layer, and the transparent conductive layer covers the low-contact-resistance material layer and the metal-indium contact layer.

10. The light-emitting diode of claim 9, wherein the metal-indium contact layer is an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer.

11. A method for manufacturing a light-emitting diode, comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming an N-type semiconductor layer on the substrate, wherein the N-type semiconductor layer is in a mesa structure having a first area and a second area, and the first area is higher than the second area;

forming a light-emitting layer on the first area of the N-type semiconductor layer;

forming a P-type semiconductor layer on the light-emitting layer;

forming a low-contact-resistance material layer on part of the P-type semiconductor layer;

forming a transparent conductive layer on the low-contact-resistance material layer and the P-type semiconductor layer; and

forming individually an N-type metal electrode on the second area of the N-type semiconductor layer, and a P-type metal electrode on the transparent conductive layer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the low-contact-resistance material layer surrounds the P-type metal electrode, or is positioned between vertical projection areas of the P-type metal electrode and the N-type metal electrode.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the low-contact-resistance material layer is in a round-hole pattern, a stripe pattern, a lattice pattern, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the material of the low-contact-resistance material layer is graphene or a metal selected from the group comprising of nickel (Ni), gold (Au), chromium (Cr), platinum (Pt), rhodium (Rh), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), copper (Cu) and the combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the thickness of the low-contact-resistance material layer is in a range of 0.1 nm to 1000 nm.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising forming a metal-indium contact layer positioned between the P-type semiconductor layer and the low-contact-resistance material layer, and the transparent conductive layer covers the low-contact-resistance material layer and the metal-indium contact layer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the metal-indium contact layer is an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer.

18. A method for manufacturing a light-emitting diode, comprising:

providing an N-type semiconductor layer having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface;

forming a light-emitting layer on the first surface of the N-type semiconductor layer;

forming a P-type semiconductor layer on the light-emitting layer;

forming a low-contact-resistance material layer surrounding the P-type semiconductor layer;

forming a transparent conductive layer on the low-contact-resistance material layer and the P-type semiconductor layer; and

forming individually a P-type metal electrode on the transparent conductive layer, and an N-type metal electrode on the second surface of the N-type semiconductor layer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the low-contact-resistance material layer completely or partially surrounds the P-type metal electrode.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the low-contact-resistance material layer is in a round-hole pattern, a stripe pattern, a lattice pattern, or a combination thereof.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the material of the low-contact-resistance material layer is graphene or a metal selected from the group comprising of nickel (Ni), gold (Au), chromium (Cr), platinum (Pt), rhodium (Rh), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), copper (Cu) and the combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the thickness of the low-contact-resistance material layer is in a range of 0.1 nm to 1000 nm.