Gallium nitride based light-emitting device

• US 7,345,315 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• 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:
  US11/352,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20060138449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 257/96, 257/98, 257/103, 257/E33.069, 257/E33.072, 257/E33.068, 257/E33.034
• US Class Current: 257/96
• 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 manufacturing method and a thus produced light-emitting structure for a white colored light-emitting device (LED) and the LED itself are 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 light-emitting structure for a light emitting diode (LED), comprising a resonant cavity structure, a contact layer, an n-type metal electrode and a p-type metal electrode, wherein:

said resonant cavity structure formed by a metal reflector, a substrate, a buffer layer, an n-GaN based layer, an MQW active layer and a p-type distributed Bragg reflector (DBR), wherein and said substrate comprises sapphire;

said contact layer being a p-GaN based layer and formed over said p-type DBR;

said n-type metal electrode disposed over an exposing layer of said n-GaN layer; and

said p-type metal electrode disposed over said p-GaN layer;

wherein said MQW active layer comprises a material so that said MQW active layer generates a light with a wavelength comprising 380-600 nm in response to an applied electric power between said n-type metal electrode and said p-type metal electrode.

2. The light-emitting structure as in claim 1, wherein said substrate further comprises silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN).

3. The light-emitting structure as in claim 1, wherein said contact layer further comprises a p-InGaN and a p-AlInGaN layers, and said p-type DBR comprises AlGaN/GaN.

4. The light-emitting structure as in claim 1, wherein said metal reflector has a reflectance of greater than 90% and said p-type DBR has a reflectance of 50-80%.

5. The light-emitting structure as in claim 1, wherein the light-emitting structure further comprises a transparent contact layer (TCL) and said TCL is formed over said contact layer and transparent to a light having a wavelength of 380 to 600 nm.

6. A light-emitting structure for a light-emitting device (LED), comprising:

a metal reflector on a bottom side of a substrate, wherein said metal reflector has a thickness of 50 μ

m to 10 μ

m and is made of a conductive metal or metal alloy;

an LT-GaN/HT-GaN buffer layer having a first formed LT-GaN buffer layer on said substrate and a then formed HT-GaN buffer layer on said LT-GaN buffer layer, wherein said LT-GaN buffer layer has a thickness of 30 to 500 Å

while said HT-GaN buffer layer with a thickness of 0.2 to 2 μ

m;

an n-GaN semiconductor layer having a thickness of 2 to 6 μ

m;

an InGaN/GaN MQW active layer;

a p-AlGaN/GaN distributed Bragg reflector (DBR); and

a p+-GaN based semiconductor layer having a thickness of 0.2 to 0.5 μ

m;

wherein said substrate comprising sapphire and said MQW active layer emits a lightwith a wavelength comprising 380-600 nm in response to an applied electric power.

7. The light-emitting structure as in claim 6, wherein said substrate further comprises silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), and wherein said metal reflector comprises Ag, Al and other metallic materials.

8. The light-emitting structure as in claim 6, wherein said p+-GaN based semiconductor layer further comprises a p-InGaN and a p-AlInGaN layers.

9. The light-emitting structure as in claim 6, wherein said p+-GaN based semiconductor layer is further coated with a transparent contact layer (TCL), and said TCL comprises Ni/Au and other conductive material transparent to a light having a wavelength of 380 nm to 600 nm.

10. A light-emitting structure for a light emitting diode (LED), comprising a substrate, a resonant cavity structure, a contact layer, an n-type metal electrode and a p-type metal electrode, wherein:

said substrate comprising sapphire and having a buffer layer thereon;

said resonant cavity structure formed over said buffer layer, comprising an n-type distributed Bragg reflector (DBR), an n-GaN based layer, a multi-quantum well (MQW) active layer and a p-type DBR layers;

said contact layer being a p-GaN based layer and formed over said p-type DBR, wherein said contact layer further comprises a p-InGaN and a p-AlInGaN epitaxial layers;

said n-type metal electrode disposed over an exposing region of said n-GaN layer; and

said p-type metal electrode disposed over said p-GaN based layer;

wherein said MQW active layer comprises a material so that said MQW active layer generates a light with a wavelength of 380 nm to 600 nm in response to an applied electric power between said p-type electrode and said n-type electrode.

11. The light-emitting structure as in claim 10, wherein said substrate further comprises silicon carbide (SiC), silicon (Si) and gallium nitride (GaN).

12. The light-emitting structure as in claim 10, wherein said n-pBR and p-pBR have a reflectivity of less than 90%.

13. The light-emitting structure as in claim 10, wherein said light-emitting structure further comprises a TCL formed over said contact layer and conductive and transparent to a light having a wavelength of 380 to 600 nm.

14. A light-emitting structure for a light-emitting device (LED) comprised of an epitaxial structure, comprising:

an LT-GaN/HT-GaN buffer layer having a first formed LT-GaN buffer layer on a substrate and a then formed HT-GaN buffer layer on said LT-GaN buffer layer, wherein said LT-GaN buffer layer has a thickness of 30 to 500 Å

while said HT-GaN buffer layer has a thickness of 0.2 to 2 μ

m;

an n-AlGaN/GaN distributed Bragg reflector (DBR);

an n-GaN semiconductor layer having a thickness of 2 to 6 μ

m;

an InGaN/GaN MQW active layer;

a p-AlGaN/GaN DBR; and

a p+-GaN based semiconductor layer having a thickness of 0.2 to 0.5 μ

m;

wherein said substrate comprises sapphire and said MQW active layer emits a light with a wavelength comprising 380-600 nm in response to an applied electric power.

15. The light-emitting structure as in claim 14, wherein said substrate further comprises silicon carbide (SiC), silicon (Si) and gallium nitride (GaN).

16. The light-emitting structure as in claim 14, wherein said p+-GaN based semiconductor layer further comprises p-InGaN and p-AlInGaN layers.

17. The light-emitting structure as in claim 14, wherein a transparent contact layer (TCL) is further formed over said p+-GaN based semiconductor layer, wherein said transparent contact layer (TCL) comprising Ni/Au and other conductive material transmissible to a light with a wavelength of 380-600 nm, wherein said TCL has a thickness so that said light may penetrate therethrough.