Semiconductor light-emitting device and method for manufacturing the same

• US 6,469,324 B1
• Filed: 05/24/2000
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lexington Luminance LLC
• Original Assignee: Tien Yang Wang
• Inventors: Wang, Tien Yang
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mondt, Johannes P
• Application Number:
  US09/577,446
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 257/91, 257/98, 257/99, 257/103, 372/45, 372/49, 372/50
• US Class Current: 257/98
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0091 Scattering means in or on the semiconductor body or semiconductor body package H01L33/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/30 containing only elements of Group III and Group V of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/405 Reflective materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/44 characterised by the coatings, e.g. passivation layer or anti-reflective coating

Abstract

A semiconductor light emitting device comprising an AlGaInP lower confining layer, an AlGaInP active layer, an AlGaInP upper confining layer and a window layer on the upper confining layer using the MOVPE process. The device further contains a hybrid antireflection layer on the top surface and a lower conductive reflector at the substrate interface. The light emitting device has a high surface light-extraction efficiency due to reduced substrate absorption loss and light piping. The hybrid antireflective layer contains at least a conductor layer for uniform current injection and an oxide layer for light extraction and environmental stability.

The device structure contains a hybrid conductive transparent layer on the top surface and a conductive lower reflecting layer. Advantages of the LED in the present invention include highly efficient current-spreading and surface light extraction.

Claims

1. A semiconductor light-emitting device comprising:

a foreign substrate on a first electrode;

an active layer bounded by an upper and a lower confining layer overlaying said foreign substrate;

a window layer overlaying said upper confining layer;

a contact layer overlaying said window layer;

a second electrode on said contact layer;

a first metal layer between said contact layer and said second electrode, and overlaying the entire surface of said contact layer;

a first transparent conductive oxide layer between said first metal layer and said second electrode, and overlaying the entire surface of said first metal layer;

a second metal layer between said foreign substrate and said lower confining layer;

a second transparent conductive oxide layer between said second metal layer and said lower confining layer.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said second metal layer comprises silver having a thickness of from 30 to 150 nm.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said second transparent conductive oxide layer comprises indium tin oxide having a thickness of from 20 to 100 nm.