Device for emitting electromagnetic radiation at a predetermined wavelength

• US 6,191,431 B1
• Filed: 04/30/1998
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum VZW (IMEC International)
• Original Assignee: Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum VZW (IMEC International)
• Inventors: Borghs, Gustaaf, De Neve, Hans, Hoof, Chris Van
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Minh Loan
• Application Number:
  US09/070,455
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 257/14, 257/17, 257/25, 257/94, 257/96, 257/22, 257/98, 257/103, 372/45, 372/46, 372/43
• US Class Current: 257/17
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0025 comprising only AIIIBV compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/02 characterised by the semiconductor bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/105 with a resonant cavity structure
• 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 33/405 Reflective materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/465 with a resonant cavity structure

Abstract

A device for emitting radiation it a predetermined wavelength is disclosed. The device has a cavity comprising a first bulk region and a second bulk region of opposite conductivity type wherein a barrier is provided for spatially separating the charge carriers of the first and the second region substantially at the antinode of the standing wave pattern of said cavity. The recombination of the charge carriers at the barrier create radiation, the emission wavelength of the radiation being determined by the cavity.

Claims

1. A device for emitting electromagnetic radiation at a predetermined wavelength, said device comprising:

a cavity having a first bulk region of one conductivity type and a second bulk region of another conductivity type, wherein said first bulk region and said second bulk region are of substantially the same thickness and comprise essentially a first material with a first bandgap and having a refractive index n₁, said first bulk region having charge carriers of a first conductivity type, said second bulk region having charge carriers of a second conductivity type, the total thickness of said first and said second bulk region having a value of about said predetermined wavelength divided by n₁, at least one surface of said first region and one surface of said second region being essentially parallel, and wherein a barrier is provided for spatially separating the charge carriers of said first bulk region and said second bulk region, said barrier being substantially at an antinode of a standing wave pattern of said cavity, the recombination of the charge carriers at the barrier creating said radiation, said first region being adjacent to said barrier and said second region being adjacent to said barrier; and

a third region consisting essentially of a third material with a third bandgap in-between said first and said second region, said third bandgap being larger than said first bandgap.

2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the emission wavelength of said radiation is affected by said cavity.

3. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein said barrier is a third region in said cavity providing a barrier for transport of said charge carriers between said first region and said second region, the charge carriers of either one of said conductivity types thereby being trapped at either one side of said barrier in either one of said first or second regions, the charge carriers of the other conductivity type being injected from the other side of said barrier, the recombination of the charge carriers of the different conductivity type creating said radiation.

4. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein said barrier is sufficiently thin to allow for tunnelling or for thermo-ionic emission of the charge carriers through or respectively over said barrier.

5. An array of devices as recited in claim 1, each of said devices emitting radiation at substantially the same wavelength.

6. A device for emitting electromagnetic radiation at a predetermined wavelength, said device comprising:

a cavity comprising a first bulk region of one, conductivity type and a second bulk region of another conductivity type, wherein said first bulk region and said second bulk region are substantially the same thickness, the first bulk region comprising essentially in a first material with a first bandgap and having a refractive index n₁, the second bulk region comprising essentially in a second material with a second bandgap and having a refractive index n₂, said first bulk region having charge carriers of a first conductivity type, said second bulk region having charge carriers of a second conductivity type, the total thickness (d) of the thickness of said first bulk region (d₁) and the thickness of said second bulk region (d₂) having a value d equal to about d₁+d₂ and being essentially determined according to the relation n₁ d₁+n₂ d₂=λ

, λ

being said predetermined wavelength, and wherein a barrier is provided for spatially separating the charge carriers of said first bulk region and said second bulk region, said barrier being substantially and an anitnode of a standing wave pattern of said cavity, the recombination of charge carriers at the barrier creating said radiation, said first region being adjacent to said barrier and said second region being adjacent to said barrier; and

a third region consisting essentially of a third material with a third bandgap inbetween said first and said second region, said third bandgap being larger than said first bandgap.

7. The device as recited in claim 6, further comprising a mirror being provided on the surface of one of said first or said second region;

and a semi-transparent mirror being provided on the surface of another of said first or said second region.

8. The device as recited in claim 7, being provided on a substrate.

9. The device as recited in claim 8, wherein said substrate, said first, said second and said third regions are in an epitaxial relationship.

10. The device as recited in claim 8, wherein said first material and said third material are selected from the group of III-V semiconducting materials, said radiation being light.

11. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein said charge carriers of a first conductivity type are electrons and said charge carriers of a second conductivity type are holes.

12. The array of devices as recited in claim 11, wherein said devices are provided on one substrate, said substrate consisting essentially of said first material.

13. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein said charge carriers of a first conductivity type are holes and said charge carriers of a second conductivity type are electrons.

14. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein said first material is GaAs and said third material is AlAs, and wherein said mirror is a Distributed Bragg Reflector selectively reflecting said predetermined wavelength.

15. The device as recited in claim 6, further comprising a mirror being provided on the surface of one of said first or said second region;

and a semi-transparent mirror being provided on the surface of another of said first or said second region.

16. The device as recited in claim 15, being provided on a substrate.

17. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein said substrate, said first, said second and said third regions are in an epitaxial relationship.

18. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein said first material and said third material are selected from the group of III-V semiconducting materials, said radiation being light.

19. The device as recited in claim 18, wherein said charge carriers of a first conductivity type are electrons and said charge carriers of a second conductivity type are holes.

20. The device as recited in claim 18, wherein said charge carriers of a first conductivity type are holes and said charge carriers of a second conductivity type are electrons.

21. The device as recited in claim 20, wherein said first material is GaAs and said third material is AlAs, and wherein said mirror is a Distributed Bragg Reflector selectively reflecting said predetermined wavelength.