White light-emitting diode and method of manufacturing the same

• US 6,163,038 A
• Filed: 05/14/1998
• Issued: 12/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Transpacific IP Group Limited
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Hwang, Fei-Chang, Huang, Chao-Nien, Chen, Chin-Yuan, Hong, Ming-Huang, Lean, Eric G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meier, Stephen D.
• Application Number:
  US09/078,882
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 257/103, 257/15, 257/101, 257/40
• US Class Current: 257/103
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• 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

Abstract

A white light-emitting diode and a method of fabricating the same diode are disclosed. The white light-emitting diode is fabricated by epitaxy, which can produce two peaks in the spectrum at the P-N junction by appropriately adjusting epitaxial parameters such as temperature, pressure, NH₃ flux and the ratio of H₂ to N₂ or the concentration of dopant, such as Mg or Si. The diode can thus radiate white light by adjusting the wavelength and the intensity of the principal peak in the two peaks. Further, quantum well structure can be formed in the diode. By appropriately adjusting the epitaxial parameters, the spectrum of the quantum well structures may have more than one peak. Therefore, white light can be generated by combining the light with wavelengths at two or three different peaks. The white LED can radiate white light itself and need not involve combining many LEDs, so that the cost and the difficulty of fabricating the white LED lamp can be reduced. Moreover, the white LED can radiate white light itself, and does not need to excite fluorescent material to radiate white light. Accordingly, the lifetime of the white LED lamp is not limited by the relatively short lifetime of fluorescent material.

Claims

1. A white light-emitting diode comprising:

a substrate;

a first layer of n-type semiconductor formed on the substrate and being divided into a first section and a second section;

a second layer of n-type semiconductor formed on the first section of the first layer of n-type semiconductor;

a p-type semiconductor formed on the second layer of n-type semiconductor;

a first electrode partially formed on the p-type semiconductor;

a second electrode partially formed on the second section of the first layer of n-type semiconductor, such that when a current flows between the first electrode and the second electrode, a spectrum generated by an interface of the second layer of n-type semiconductor and the p-type semiconductor includes at least two peaks that can combine to produce white light.

2. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 1 wherein the n-type semiconductor and the p-type semiconductor are GaN.

3. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 1 wherein the n-type semiconductor and the p-type semiconductor are AlGaN.

4. A white light-emitting diode comprising:

a substrate;

a buffer layer formed on the substrate and being divided into a first section and a second section;

a first n-type semiconductor formed on the first section of the buffer layer;

a second n-type semiconductor formed on the first n-type semiconductor;

a first p-type semiconductor formed on the second n-type semiconductor;

a second p-type semiconductor partially formed on the first n-type semiconductor;

a first electrode formed on the second p-type semiconductor; and

a second electrode partially formed on the second section of the buffer layer.

5. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 4 wherein the buffer layer is made of GaN.

6. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 4 wherein the first n-type semiconductor is n-type AlGaN.

7. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 4 wherein the second n-type semiconductor is n-type GaN.

8. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 4 wherein the first p-type semiconductor is p-type AlGaN.

9. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 4 wherein the second p-type semiconductor is p-type GaN.

10. A white light-emitting diode comprising:

a substrate;

a buffer layer formed on the substrate and being divided into a first section and a second section;

an n-type semiconductor formed on the first section of the buffer layer;

a first quantum well structure formed on the n-type semiconductor, which can emit a light having a wavelength of about 550 to 620 nm;

a second quantum well structure formed on the first quantum well structure, which can emit a light having a wavelength of about 370 to 500 nm;

a first p-type semiconductor formed on the second quantum well structure;

a second p-type semiconductor partially formed on the first p-type semiconductor;

a first electrode formed on the second p-type semiconductor; and

a second electrode partially formed on the second section of the buffer layer.

11. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 10 wherein the buffer layer is made of GaN.

12. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 10 wherein the n-type semiconductor is n-type AlGaN.

13. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 10 wherein the first quantum well structure and the second quantum well structure are InGaN quantum well structures.

14. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 10 wherein the first p-type semiconductor is p-type AlGaN.

15. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 10 wherein the second p-type semiconductor is p-type GaN.

16. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 12 wherein the formula of the n-type AlGaN is Al_x Ga_1-x N where 1≧

x>

0.

17. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 14 wherein the formula of the p-type AlGaN is Al_x Ga_1-x N where 1≧

x>

0.

18. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 13 wherein the first quantum well structure includes an InGaN quantum-well layer and InGaN barrier layers formed beside the InGaN quantum-well layer.

19. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 13 wherein the second quantum well structure includes an InGaN quantum-well layer and InGaN barrier layers formed beside the InGaN quantum-well layer.

20. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 13 wherein the first quantum well structure includes a plurality of InGaN quantum-well layers and InGaN barrier layers formed beside each of the plurality of InGaN quantum-well layers.

21. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 13 wherein the second quantum well structure includes a plurality of InGaN quantum-well layers and InGaN barrier layers formed beside each of the plurality of InGaN quantum-well layers.

22. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 18 or 20 wherein the formula of the InGaN quantum-well layer is In_z Ga_1-z N and the formula of the InGaN barrier layer is In_y Ga_1-y N where 1≧

z>

y≧

0.

23. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 19 or 21 wherein the formula of the InGaN quantum-well layer is In_n Ga_1-n N and the formula of the InGaN barrier layer is In_m Ga_1-m N where 1≧

n>

m≧

0.

24. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 22 wherein the thickness of the InGaN quantum-well layer is in a range of 0.5 to 10 nm and the thickness of the InGaN barrier layer is in a range of 5 to 100 nm.

25. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 23 wherein the thickness of the InGaN quantum-well layer is in a range of 0.5 to 10 nm and the thickness of the InGaN barrier layer is in a range of 5 to 100 nm.

26. A white light-emitting diode comprising:

a substrate;

a buffer layer formed on the substrate and being divided into a first section and a second section;

an n-type semiconductor formed on the first section of the buffer layer;

a first InGaN quantum well structure formed on the n-type semiconductor, which can emit a light having a wavelength of about 570 to 650 nm;

a second InGaN quantum well structure formed on the first InGaN quantum well structure, which can emit a light having a wavelength of about 500 to 555 nm;

a third InGaN quantum well structure formed on the second InGaN quantum well structure, which can emit a light having a wavelength of about 370 to 500 nm;

a first p-type semiconductor formed on the third InGaN quantum well structure;

a second p-type semiconductor partially formed on the first p-type semiconductor;

a first electrode formed on the second p-type semiconductor; and

a second electrode partially formed on the second section of the buffer layer.

27. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 26 wherein the buffer layer is made of GaN.

28. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 26 wherein the n-type semiconductor is n-type AlGaN.

29. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 26 wherein the first p-type semiconductor is p-type AlGaN.

30. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 26 wherein the second p-type semiconductor is p-type GaN.

31. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 26 wherein the first quantum well structure, the second quantum well structure and the third quantum well structure are InGaN quantum well structures, and each quantum well structure includes at least one InGaN quantum-well layer and InGaN barrier layers formed beside the InGaN quantum-well layer.

32. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 28 wherein the formula of the n-type AlGaN is Al_x Ga_1-x N, where 1≧

x>

0.

33. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 29 wherein the formula of the p-type AlGaN is Al_x Ga_1-x N, where 1≧

x>

0.

34. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 31 wherein the formula of the InGaN quantum-well layer is In_z Ga_1-z N and the formula of the InGaN barrier layer is In_y Ga_1-y N, where 1≧

z>

y≧

0 in the first quantum well structure.

35. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 31 wherein the formula of the InGaN quantum-well layer is In_n Ga_1-n N and the formula of the InGaN barrier layer is In_m Ga_1-m N, where 1≧

n>

m≧

0 in the second quantum well structure.

36. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 31 wherein the formula of the InGaN quantum-well layer is In_q Ga_1-q N and the formula of the InGaN barrier layer is In_p Ga_1-p N, where 1≧

q>

p≧

0 in the third quantum well structure.

37. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 31 wherein the thickness of the InGaN quantum-well layer is in a range of 0.5 to 10 nm and the thickness of the InGaN barrier layer is in a range of 5 to 100 nm.

38. A white light-emitting diode comprising:

a substrate;

a buffer layer formed on the substrate and being divided into a first section and a second section;

an n-type semiconductor formed on the first section of the buffer layer;

a plurality of InGaN quantum well structures formed on the n-type semiconductor, in which an InGaN quantum well structure that emits light of a longer wavelength is grown first on the n-type semiconductor, then sequentially growing InGaN quantum well structures that emit light of a relatively shorter wavelength;

a first p-type semiconductor formed on the plurality of InGaN quantum well structures;

a second p-type semiconductor partially formed on the first p-type semiconductor;

a first electrode formed on the second p-type semiconductor; and

a second electrode partially formed on the second section of the buffer layer.

39. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 38 wherein each of the plurality of quantum well structures includes at least one InGaN quantum-well layer and InGaN barrier layers formed beside the InGaN quantum-well layer.

40. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 38 wherein the number of the plurality of quantum well structures is between 3 and 30.

41. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 38 wherein the number of the plurality of quantum well structures is preferably 15.

42. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 39 wherein the thickness of the InGaN quantum-well layer is in a range of 0.5 to 10 nm and the thickness of the InGaN barrier layer is in a range of 5 to 100 nm.

43. A white light-emitting diode as claimed in claim 39 wherein the InGaN quantum-well layer has a larger In composition than the InGaN barrier layers.