Light emitting semiconductor device

• US 7,265,374 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Arima Computer (Texas) Corporation (Arima Communications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Arima Computer (Texas) Corporation (Arima Communications Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Stephen, Shreter, Yury Georgievich, Rebane, Yury Toomasovich, Gorbunov, Ruslan Ivanovich
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thao P.
• Application Number:
  US11/150,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20060278880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 977/773, 977/759, 977/760, 977/761, 257/13, 257/14, 257/79, 257/82, 257/E33.001, 257/E33.076, 257/E31.099, 257/E31.105
• US Class Current: 257/13
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/22 Roughened surfaces, e.g. at the interface between epitaxial layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/759 Quantum well dimensioned for intersubband transitions, e.g. for use in unipolar light emitters or quantum well infrared photodetectors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/76 Superlattice with graded effective bandgap, e.g. "chirp-graded" superlattice
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/761 Superlattice with well or barrier thickness adapted for increasing the reflection, transmission, or filtering of carriers having energies above the bulk-form conduction or valence band energy level of the well or barrier, i.e. well or barrier with n-integer-λ-carrier-/4 thickness
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/773 Nanoparticle, i.e. structure having three dimensions of 100 nm or less

Abstract

A novel NPBL and ANPL light emitting semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same are provided. In the present invention, plural nano-particles are applied in the active layer of the light emitting semiconductor device, so that the leakage current thereof is reduced. In addition, the provided light emitting semiconductor device fabricated via a planar technology process is microscopically planar, but not planar at micro- and nano-scale. Hence the parasitic wave guiding effect, which suppresses the light extraction efficiency of the light emitting semiconductor device, is destroyed thereby.

Claims

1. A light emitting semiconductor device comprising:

a substrate;

a buffer layer on said substrate;

a first contact layer having a first type of a dopant on said buffer layer;

an active layer having a plurality of first nano-particles on said first contact layer; and

a second contact layer having a second type of a dopant on said active layer.

2. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is made of an aluminum oxide.

3. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said buffer layer is made of a gallium nitride.

4. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said first contact layer comprises a layer of a silicon-doped gallium nitride.

5. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said first contact layer is an n-type contact layer.

6. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein said second contact layer is a p-type contact layer.

7. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said active layer is made of a semiconducting material.

8. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein said semiconducting material is one of a gallium nitride and a boron-aluminum-gallium nitride.

9. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of first nano-particles are made of an indium-gallium nitride.

10. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of first nano-particles are covered by a first shell.

11. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said first shell is made of one selected from a group consisting of a boron-aluminum-gallium nitride, a silicon oxide and a silicon nitride.

12. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said active layer further comprises a plurality of second nano-particles.

13. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein said plurality of second nano-particles are made of a boron-aluminum-gallium nitride.

14. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein said plurality of second nano-particles are covered by a second shell.

15. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein said second shell is made of one selected from a group consisting of a boron-aluminum-gallium nitride, a silicon oxide and a silicon nitride.

16. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said nano-particles have a particle size ranged from 10 nanometers to 1000 nanometers.

17. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said second contact layer comprises a layer of a magnesium-doped gallium nitride.

18. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising a first cladding layer having said first type of said dopant and sandwiched between said first contact layer and said active layer.

19. The light emitting semiconductor device according to claim 18, further comprising a second cladding layer having said first type of said dopant and sandwiched between said active layer and said second contact layer.

20. A method for fabricating a light emitting semiconductor device, comprising steps of:

(a) providing a substrate;

(b) forming a buffer layer on said substrate;

(c) forming a first contact layer having a first type of a dopant on said buffer layer, wherein said first contact layer has a dopant of a first type;

(d) forming an active layer having a plurality of nano-particles on said first contact layer;

(e) forming a second contact layer having a second type of a dopant on said active layer;

(f) forming a metallization layer on said second contact layer;

(g) removing a part of said metallization layer, said second contact layer, said active layer and said first contact layer so as to expose at least a part of said first contact layer; and

(h) forming a third contact layer on said exposed first contact layer.

21. A method for fabricating a light emitting semiconductor device, comprising steps of:

(a) providing a substrate;

(b) forming a buffer layer having a plurality of nano-particles on said substrate;

(c) forming a first contact layer having a first type of a dopant on said buffer layer;

(d) forming an active layer with quantum wells on said first contact layer; and

(e) forming a second contact layer having a second type of a dopant on said active layer.