Method for manufacturing a light-emitting structure of a light-emitting device (LED)

• US 7,279,347 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2003
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Semileds Optoelectronics Company Limited (SemiLEDs Inc)
• Original Assignee: Super Nova Optoelectronics Corporation
• Inventors: Hon, Schang-Jing, Huang, Jenn-Bin
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, MINH LOAN
• Application Number:
  US10/720,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20040104398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 438/39, 438/46, 438/47, 438/22, 438/27, 438/29
• US Class Current: 438/29
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/105 with a resonant cavity structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/465 with a resonant cavity structure

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a light-emitting structure of a light-emitting device (LED) is disclosed. The white colored LED includes a resonant cavity structure, producing and mixing lights which may mix into a white colored light in the resonant cavity structure, so that the white colored LED may be more accurately controlled in its generated white colored light, which efficiently reduces deficiency, generates natural white colored light and aids in luminous efficiency promotion. In addition to the resonant cavity structure, the light-emitting structure also includes a contact layer, an n-type metal electrode, and a p-type metal electrode.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a light emitting device of a light-emitting device (LED), comprising:

(a) forming a buffer layer over an upper side of a substrate, wherein said substrate comprises sapphire, silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN);

(b) forming an n-GaN based epitaxial layer over said buffer layer;

(c) forming an MQW layer over said n-GaN based epitaxial layer, wherein said MQW active layer comprises a material so that said MQW active layer emits a light with a wavelength comprising 380 nm to 600 nm in response to an applied electric power on said light-emitting structure;

(d) forming a p-type distributed Brag reflector (DBR) over said MQW active layer;

(e) forming a p-GaN based layer over said p-type DBR, etching away a portion of said n-GaN based layer, said MQW active layer, said p-type DBR and said p-GaN based layer whereby said n-GaN based layer has an exposing region and disposing an n-type electrode over said exposing region and a p-type electrode over said remaining p-GaN based layer after said etching; and

(f) coating a metal reflector over a bottom side of said substrate.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein a step of (e′

) is added in said step (e) after said forming and prior to said disposition of said n-type and said p-type electrodes, said step (e′

) is forming a transparent contact layer (TCL) having an exposing side, wherein said TCL comprises Ni/Au and other transparent and conductive layers with a suitable thickness and being transmittable with a light having a wavelength ranging from 380 nm to 600 nm.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein said p-type DBR comprises AlGaN/GaN.

4. A method for manufacturing a light-emitting structure of a light-emitting device (LED), which comprises the steps of:

(a) forming a buffer layer over an upper side of a substrate wherein said substrate comprises sapphire, silicon carbide (SiC), silicon (Si) and gallium nitride (GaN);

(b) forming an n-type DBR on said buffer layer;

(c) forming an n-GaN based layer over said n-type DBR;

(d) forming an MQW active layer over said n-GaN based layer, wherein said MQW active layer comprises a material so that said MQW active layer emits a light with a wavelength of 380–

600 nm upon an applied electric power;

(e) forming a p-type distributed Brag reflector (DBR) over said MQW active layer; and

(f) forming a p-GaN based layer over said p-type DBR and etching away a portion of said p-GaN based layer, said p-type DBR, said MQW active layer and said n-GaN based layer whereby said n-GaN based layer has an exposing region and disposing an-type electrode over said exposing region of said n-GaN based layer and disposing a p-type electrode over said p-GaN based layer,

wherein the light-emitting structure between the n-type DBR and the p-type DBR includes the n-GaN based layer formed directly on the n-type DBR, the MQW active layer formed directly on the n-GaN based layer, and the D-type DBR forming the formed directly on the MQW active layer.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a step of (f′

) is added in said step (f) after the forming and prior to the disposition of said n-type and said p-type electrodes, said step (f′

) is forming a transparent contact layer (TCL) with a suitable thickness and being transparent to a light with a wavelength of 380–

600 nm over said etched p-GaN layer, wherein said TCL having an exposing side.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said n-type DBR has a reflectance of greater than 90% and said p-type DBR has a reflectance of 50–

80%.