Increasing the brightness of III-nitride light emitting devices

• US 6,576,932 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lumileds LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lumileds Lighting US LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goetz, Werner K., Khare, Reena, Camras, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fordé , Remmon R.
• Application Number:
  US09/797,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20020121646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 257/103, 257/190, 257/615, 257/627, 257/628, 257/94, 257/21, 257/96, 257/618, 257/14
• US Class Current: 257/103
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0237 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02433 Crystal orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous

Abstract

LEDs employing a III-Nitride light emitting active region deposited on a base layer above a substrate show improved optical properties with the base layer grown on an intentionally misaligned substrate with a thickness greater than 3.5 μm. Improved brightness, improved quantum efficiency, and a reduction in the current at which maximum quantum efficiency occurs are among the improved optical properties resulting from use of a misaligned substrate and a thick base layer. Illustrative examples are given of misalignment angles in the range from 0.05° to 0.50°, and base layers in the range from 6.5 to 9.5 μm although larger values of both misalignment angle and base layer thickness can be used. In some cases, the use of thicker base layers provides sufficient structural support to allow the substrate to be removed from the device entirely.

Claims

1. A light emitting structure comprising:

a light emitting device comprising;

a base layer having a thickness exceeding about 3.5 micrometers formed above a sapphire substrate having an upper face misaligned at an angle of at least 0.05°

from a main crystal plane of the substrate; and

a III-Nitride light emitting region formed above the base layer;

wherein at least a portion of the base layer is doped with an n-type dopant.

2. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said misalignment angle is in the range from 0.05°

to 10°

.

3. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said misalignment angle is in the range from 0.05°

to 5°

.

4. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said misalignment angle is in the range from 0.05°

to 1°

.

5. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said thickness is from about 3.5 micrometers to about 200 micrometers.

6. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said thickness is from about 3.5 micrometers to about 20 micrometers.

7. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said thickness is from about 3.5 micrometers to about 10 micrometers.

8. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said thickness is from about 3.5 micrometers to about 7 micrometers.

9. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said thickness is from about 3.5 micrometers to a cracking limit.

10. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said thickness is sufficient to support said light emitting device upon removal of said substrate.

11. A structure as in claim 10 wherein the substrate is removed.

12. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said main crystal plane is the c-plane.

13. A structure as in claim 1 wherein the base layer has a doping level that increases in the direction towards the light-emitting region.

14. A structure as in claim 1 wherein the base layer has a doping level that decreases in the direction towards the light-emitting region.

15. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said base layer comprises a plurality of sublayers.

16. A structure as in claim 15 wherein said base layer comprises a first sublayer above said upper face of said substrate and a second sublayer above said first sublayer wherein said second sublayer is more heavily doped than said first sublayer.

17. A structure as in claim 16 wherein said first sublayer is lightly doped.

18. A structure as in claim 17 wherein said first sublayer comprises lightly doped gallium nitride.

19. A structure as in claim 18 wherein said second sublayer comprises n-type gallium nitride.

20. A structure as in claim 16 wherein the base layer further comprises a third sublayer above the second sublayer.

21. A structure as in claim 20 wherein the third sublayer is lightly doped.

22. A structure as in claim 19 wherein said second sublayer is doped with at least about 10¹⁸ dopant atoms per cubic centimeter.

23. A structure as in claim 1 comprising a display device, said display device comprising at least one blue light emitting device, at least one green light emitting device, and at least one red light emitting device, wherein at least one of the blue light emitting device, green light emitting device, and red light emitting device comprises:

a base layer having a thickness exceeding about 3.5 micrometers formed above a sapphire substrate having an upper face misaligned at an angle of at least 0.05°

from a main crystal plane of the substrate; and

a III-Nitride light emitting region formed above the base layer.

24. A structure as in claim 1 wherein said main crystal plane is the r-plane.

25. A light emitting structure comprising:

a light emitting device comprising;

a base layer having a thickness exceeding about 5.5 micrometers formed above a substrate having an upper face misaligned at an angle of at least 0.05°

from a main crystal plane of the substrate; and

a III-Nitride light emitting region formed above the base layer.

26. A structure as in claim 25 wherein the base layer has a thickness exceeding about 6.5 micrometers.

27. A structure as in claim 25 wherein said thickness is from about 6.5 micrometers to about 200 micrometers.

28. A structure as in claim 25 wherein said thickness is from about 6.5 micrometers to about 20 micrometers.

29. A structure as in claim 25 wherein said thickness is from about 6.5 micrometers to about 10 micrometers.

30. A structure as in claim 25 wherein said thickness is from about 6.5 micrometers to a cracking limit.

31. A structure as in claim 25 wherein said substrate is selected from the group consisting of sapphire, silicon carbide, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide, and gallium phosphide.

32. A structure as in claim 25 wherein said thickness is sufficient to support said light emitting device upon removal of said substrate.

33. A structure as in claim 25 wherein the substrate is removed.