Semiconductor light emitting device and method of fabricating the same

• US 5,103,271 A
• Filed: 09/27/1990
• Issued: 04/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohba, Yasuo, Hatano, Ako, Izumiya, Toshihide
• Primary Examiner(s): PRENTY, MARK V
• Application Number:
  US07/588,858
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 357/16, 357/17, 357/61, 372/45
• US Class Current: 257/94
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0062 for devices with an active region comprising only III-V compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/30 containing only elements of Group III and Group V of the Periodic Table

Abstract

A semiconductor light-emitting device comprises a light-emitting layer including a pn junction formed by a plurality of In_x Ga_y Al_l-x-y P (0≦x, y≦l) layers, and a light-emitting-layer holding layer consisting of an indirect transition type Ga_l-w Al_w As (0≦w≦l) provided on an opposite side to a light-outputting side. The holding layer has a sufficiently small light absorption coefficient for the light from the light-emitting layer even though its band gap is small and improves the light emission efficiency of the semiconductor light-emitting device.

Claims

1. A semiconductor light-emitting device, comprising:

a light-emitting layer including a pn junction formed by a plurality of In_x Ga_y Al_1-x-y P (0≦

x, y≦

1) layers, wherein each of the plurality of In_x Ga_y Al_1-x-y P layers has a corresponding band gap; and

a light-emitting-layer holding layer consisting of an indirect transition type Ga_1-w Al_w As (0<

w≦

1) having a band gap which is smaller than any of the corresponding band gaps of the In_x Ga_y Al_1-x-y P layers of the light-emitting layer, and provided on an opposite side to a light-outputting side of said light-emitting layer.

2. The semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said light-emitting layer has a double heterojunction structure.

3. The semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein said light-emitting layer has a single heterojunction structure.

4. The semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1, which further comprises:

an intermediate layer between said light-emitting layer and said light-emitting-layer holding layer which has an intermediate band gap which is between the band gap of said light-emitting-layer holding layer and the corresponding band gaps of the In_x Ga_y Al_1-x-y P layers of said light-emitting layer, thereby providing for a smooth transition of band gap between said light-emitting layer and said light-emitting-layer holding layer.

5. The semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a contact layer transparent at the wavelength of emitted light is provided between said light-emitting layer and an electrode on said light-outputting side.