Light emitting device

• US 4,987,460 A
• Filed: 09/13/1989
• Issued: 01/22/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sano, Masafumi, Tsuda, Hisanori, Takasu, Katsuji, Hirai, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): EPPS, GEORGIA Y
• Application Number:
  US07/406,815
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 357/2, 357/17, 357/58, 357/59, 357/4
• US Class Current: 257/103
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0012 p-i-n devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0058 comprising amorphous semiconductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/18 within the light emitting region
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/42 Transparent materials
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/145 Arrangements of the electroluminescent material

Abstract

A light emitting device has a luminescent layer having at least two layers of a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms laminated and having a homojunction, and at least a pair of electrodes connected electrically to said luminescent layer, the non-single crystalline silicon layer having an optical band gap of 2.0 eV or higher and a localized level density at mid-gap of 5×10¹⁶ cm^-3.ev^-1 or less.

Claims

1. A light emitting device comprising:

(a) a luminescent layer having at least two layers laminated to each other;

(i) each layer comprising a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms (ii) having a homo-junction at the interface of said layers and (iii) having a quantum efficiency of 10^-4 % or more, and (b) at least a pair of electrodes connected electrically to said luminescent layer, and each of said non-single crystalline silicon layers having an optical band gap of at least 2.0 eV and a localized level density at mid-gap of no more than 5×

10¹⁶ cm^-3.eV^-1.

2. A light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said luminescent layer has a layer constitution in which a P-type conductive layer and an N-type conductive layer are laminated.

3. A light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said luminescent layer has a layer constitution in which a P-type conductive layer, a layer containing no impurity of P-type and N-type and an N-type conductive layer are laminated.

4. A light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said luminescent layer has a layer constitution in which a P-type conductive layer, an I-type conductive layer and an N-type conductive layer are laminated.

5. A light emitting device comprising a luminescent layer comprising a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms, a pair of electrically insulating layers having said luminescent layer sandwiched therebetween and at least a pair of electrodes electrically connected to said luminescent layer and insulating layers and having said luminescent layer and said insulating layers sandwiched therebetween, said luminescent layer having an optical band gap of at least 2.0 eV, a localized level density at mid-gap of no more than 5×

10¹⁶ cm^-3.eV^-1, and a quantum efficiency of 10^-4 % or more.

6. A light emitting device comprising a luminescent layer having a layer constitution of a P-type conductive layer, a semiconductive intermediate layer and an N-type conductive layer, and at least a pair of electrodes electrically connected to said luminescent layer, at least one layer of the three layers constituting said luminescent layer having a multi-layer structure in which a first layer region comprising a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms and a second layer region different in optical band gap from said first layer region are laminated as a pair, and a plurality of said pairs are laminated as a unit within said at least one layer, and said luminescent layer having a quantum efficiency of 10^-4 % or more.

7. A light emitting device according to claim 6, wherein said first layer region has I-type conductive characteristics.

8. A light emitting device according to claim 6, wherein said first layer region contains no impurity of P-type and N-type.

9. A light emitting device according to claim 6, wherein said second layer region has an optical band gap greater than that of the first layer region.

10. A light emitting device comprising a pair of electrically insulating layers having a luminescent layer sandwiched therebetween, and at least a pair of electrodes electrically connected to said luminescent layer and said insulating layers having said luminescent layer and said insulating layers sandwiched therebetween, said luminescent layer having a multi-layer structure of a plurality of layers with a thickness of a de Broglie wavelength or a mean free path of a carrier in which a first layer region comprising a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms and a second layer region different in optical band gap from said first layer region are laminated as a pair, and a plurality of said pairs are laminated as a unit within said luminescent layer.

11. A light emitting device according to claim 10, wherein the optical band gap of said first layer region is at least 2.0 eV.

12. A light emitting device according to claim 10, wherein the localized level density at mid gap of said first layer region is no more than 5×

10¹⁶ cm^-13.eV^-1.

13. A light emitting device comprising a luminescent layer having a layer structure in which an N-type conductive layer, a first semiconductive intermediate layer (I), a P-type conductive layer and a second semiconductive intermediate layer (II) are laminated, and at least a pair of electrodes connected electrically to said luminescent layer, said luminescent layer with a thickness of a de Broglie wavelength or the mean free path of a carrier comprising a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms, and said material having an optical band gap of at least 2.0 eV and having a localized level density at mid gap of no more than 5×

10¹⁶ cm^-3.eV^-1.

14. A light emitting device according to claim 13, wherein at least one of said first semiconductive intermediate layer (I) and said second semiconductive intermediate layer (II) have I-type conductive characteristics.

15. A light emitting device according to claim 13, wherein at least one of said first semiconductive intermediate layer (I) and said second semiconductive intermediate layer (II) contain no impurity of P-type and N-type.

16. A light emitting device according to claim 13, wherein said layer structure is periodic.

17. A light emitting device according to claim 13, wherein the quantum efficiency of the luminescent layer is 10^-4 % or higher.

18. A light emitting device comprising a luminescent layer comprising a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms, an electrically insulating layer superposed on said luminescent layer and at least a pair of electrodes electrically connected to said luminescent layer and said insulating layer having said luminescent layer and said insulating layer sandwiched therebetween, said luminescent layer having an optical band gap of at least 2.0 eV, a localized level density at mid-gap of no more than 5×

10⁶ cm^-3.eV^-1, and a quantum efficiency of 10^-4 % or more.

19. A light emitting device comprising a luminescent layer, an electrically insulating layer superposed on said luminescent layer and at least a pair of electrodes electrically connected to said luminescent layer and said insulating layer having said luminescent layer and said insulating layer sandwiched therebetween, said luminescent layer having a multi-layer structure of a plurality of layers with a thickness of a de Broglie wavelength or the mean free path of a carrier in which a first layer region comprising a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms and a second layer region different in optical band gap from said first layer region are laminated as a pair and a plurality of said pairs are laminated as a unit within said luminescent layer.

20. A light emitting device according to claim 19, wherein the optical band gap of said first layer region is at least 2.0 eV.

21. A light emitting device according to claim 19, wherein the localized level density at mid gap of said first layer region is no more than 5×

10¹⁶ cm^-13.eV^-1.

22. A light emitting device, comprising:

a luminescent layer having at least two layers laminated to each other, with a thickness of each laminated layer being approximately the de Broglie wavelength of a carrier or about the mean free path of the carrier, and each layer comprising a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms and having a homojunction at the interface of said layers, and

at least a pair of electrodes connected electrically to said luminescent layer, and each of said non-single crystalline silicon layers having an optical band gap of at least 2.0 eV and a localized level density at mid-gap of no more than 5×

10¹⁶ cm^-3.eV¹.

23. A light emitting device, comprising:

a luminescent layer comprising a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms, with a thickness of said luminescent layer being approximately the de Broglie wavelength of a carrier or about the mean free path of the carrier, with a pair of electrically insulating layers having said luminescent layer sandwiched therebetween; and

at least a pair of electrodes electrically connected to said luminescent layer and insulating layers and having said luminescent layer and said insulating layer sandwiched therebetween, with said luminescent layers having an optical band gap of at least 2.0 eV and a localized level density at mid-gap of no more than 5×

10¹⁶ cm^-3.eV¹.

24. A light emitting device, comprising:

a luminescent layer having a layer constitution of a first P-type conductive layer, a second semiconductive intermediate layer and a third N-type conductive layer; and

at least a pair of electrodes electrically connected to said luminescent layer, at least one layer of said three layers constituting said luminescent layer having a multilayer structure in which a first layer region comprises a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms and a second layer region different in optical band gap from said first layer region are laminated as a pair, and a plurality of said pairs are laminated as a unit within said at least one layer with a thickness of each laminated layer being approximately a de Broglie wavelength of a carrier or about the mean free path of the carrier.

25. A light emitting device, comprising:

a luminescent layer comprising a non-single crystalline material containing silicon atoms, carbon atoms and fluorine atoms, with a thickness of said luminescent layer being approximately a de Broglie wavelength of a carrier or about the mean free path of the carrier;

an electrically insulating layer superposed on said luminescent layer and at least a pair of electrodes electrically connected to said luminescent layer and said insulating layer having said luminescent layer and said insulating layer sandwiched therebetween, said luminescent layer having an optical band gap of at least 2.0 eV and a localized level density at mid-gap of no more than 5×

10¹⁶ cm^-3.eV¹.