Nitride based semiconductor device

• US 7,084,420 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Cho, Dong Hyun, Oh, Jeong Tak, Kim, Dong Joon, Lee, Kyu Han, Kim, Sun Woon, Kim, Je Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Phat X.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doan, Theresa T.
• Application Number:
  US11/098,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20060086932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 257 12- 14, 257/79
• US Class Current: 257/13
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2304/12 Pendeo epitaxial lateral overgrowth [ELOG], e.g. for growing GaN based blue laser diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0213 Sapphire, quartz or diamond based substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3216 quantum well or superlattice cladding layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser

Abstract

The present invention provides a nitride based semiconductor device comprising an active layer having a quantum well layer and a quantum barrier layer, wherein the device includes an electron emitting layer formed of at least two repeats of a first nitride semiconductor layer and a second nitride semiconductor layer having different compositions between a n-type nitride semiconductor layer and the active layer, the first nitride semiconductor layer has an energy band gap greater than that of the quantum well layer, smaller than that of the quantum barrier layer, and decreasing closer to the active layer, and the second nitride semiconductor layer has an energy band gap at least higher than that of the adjacent first nitride semiconductor layer(s) and has a thickness capable of tunneling electrons.

Claims

1. A nitride based semiconductor device comprising an n-type nitride semiconductor layer, a p-type nitride semiconductor layer, and an active layer formed between the p-type nitride semiconductor layer and n-type nitride semiconductor layer and having a quantum well layer and a quantum barrier layer,

wherein the device includes an electron emitting layer formed of at least two repeats of first nitride semiconductor layers and second nitride semiconductor layers having different compositions, disposed between the n-type nitride semiconductor layer and the active layer,

the first nitride semiconductor layers have an energy band gap greater than that of the quantum well layer, smaller than that of the quantum barrier layer, and decreasing closer to the active layer, and

the second nitride semiconductor layers have an energy band gap at least higher than that of the adjacent first nitride semiconductor layer(s) and have a thickness such that electrons accumulated in the first nitride semiconductor layer can be tunneled toward the active layer.

2. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second nitride semiconductor layers have almost the same energy band gap as that of the quantum barrier layer.

3. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first nitride semiconductor layers of the electron emitting layer have a thickness of 1 to 100 nm, respectively.

4. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the thickness of the first nitride semiconductor layers increases closer to the active layer.

5. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second nitride semiconductor layers of the electron emitting layer have a thickness of 0.5 to 10 nm, respectively.

6. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one layer of the first and second nitride semiconductor layers of the electron emitting layer is doped with an n-type impurity.

7. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the n-type impurity concentration in the first and second nitride semiconductor layers of the electron emitting layer increases or decreases closer to the active layer.

8. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 7, wherein the impurity concentration in the n-type nitride semiconductor layer is higher or lower than that of the adjacent first nitride semiconductor layer.

9. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the active layer has a multi quantum well structure in which the quantum well layer of the formula In_xGa_1-xN (0<

x<

1) and the quantum barrier layer of GaN are repeatedly formed at least two times.

10. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the electron emitting layer is formed of at least two repeats of the first nitride semiconductor layers of the formula In_yGa_1-yN (0<

y<

1) having different In content, and the second nitride semiconductor layers of GaN, and the first nitride semiconductor layers have a lower In content than the quantum well layer and increasing closer to the active layer.

11. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 10, wherein at least one layer of the first and second nitride semiconductor layers is doped with an n-type impurity.

12. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the n-type impurity concentration in the first and second nitride semiconductor layers increases or decreases closer to the active layer.

13. The nitride based semiconductor device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the impurity concentration in the n-type nitride semiconductor layer is lower or higher than that of the adjacent first nitride semiconductor layer.