III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device comprising layer with pinhole structure

• US 7,999,270 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Epivalley Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Epivalley Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Eun Hyun, Yoo, Tae-Kyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Fahmy; Wael M
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARMAND, MARC ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US12/085,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20100032689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 257/13, 257/79, 257/103, 257/918, 257/E51.018, 257/E51.022, 257/E33.001, 257/87, 257/80, 257/81, 257/86
• US Class Current: 257/87
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/14 with a carrier transport control structure, e.g. highly-doped semiconductor layer or current-blocking structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 257/918 Light emitting regenerative switching device, e.g. light emitting scr arrays, circuitry

Abstract

The present invention discloses a III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device having an n-type nitride compound semiconductor layer, an active layer grown on the n-type nitride compound semiconductor layer, for generating light by recombination of electron and hole, and a p-type nitride compound semiconductor layer grown on the active layer. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device includes a plurality of semiconductor layers including a nitride compound semiconductor layer with a pinhole structure grown on the p-type nitride compound semiconductor layer.

Claims

1. A III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device comprising;

an n-type nitride compound semiconductor layer;

an active layer grown over the n-type nitride compound semiconductor layer, for generating light by recombination of electron and hole;

a p-type nitride compound semiconductor layer grown over the active layer; and

a plurality of semiconductor layers including;

a nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity grown over the p-type nitride compound semiconductor layer, and

a nitride compound semiconductor layer with a pinhole structure grown on the nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity,

wherein the nitride compound semiconductor layer with a pinhole structure has p-type conductivity, and

wherein the pinhole structure is formed on the basis of lattice defects of the nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity.

2. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of semiconductor layers further include a nitride compound semiconductor layer with p-type conductivity over the nitride compound semiconductor layer with the pinhole structure.

3. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity has a thickness of 100 Å

and below.

4. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 2, wherein the nitride compound semiconductor layer with p-type conductivity is grown at a first growth temperature, the nitride compound semiconductor layer with the pinhole structure is grown at a second growth temperature, and the first growth temperature is higher than the second growth temperature.

5. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 2, wherein at least one nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity is formed by 100 Å

and below inside the semiconductor layer with the pinhole structure and the nitride compound semiconductor layer with p-type conductivity, respectively.

6. A III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device comprising;

an n-type nitride compound semiconductor layer;

an active layer grown over the n-type nitride compound semiconductor layer, for generating light by recombination of electron and hole;

a p-type nitride compound semiconductor layer grown over the active layer;

a nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity grown over the p-type nitride compound semiconductor layer;

a nitride compound semiconductor layer with a pinhole structure grown on the nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity, wherein the nitride compound semiconductor layer with a pinhole structure has p-type conductivity, and the pinhole structure is formed on the basis of lattice defects of the nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity; and

a masking film and a plurality of nitride compound semiconductor layers grown over the nitride compound semiconductor layer with the pinhole structure.

7. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 6, wherein the masking film is made of a material selected from the group consisting of SiN, CN, MgN and SiCN.

8. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 6, wherein at least one nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity is formed by 100 Å

and below inside the nitride compound semiconductor layer with the pinhole structure.

9. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 6, wherein the nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity has a thickness of 100 Å

and below.

10. A III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device comprising;

an n-type nitride compound semiconductor layer;

an active layer grown over the n-type nitride compound semiconductor layer;

a p-type nitride compound semiconductor layer grown over the active layer;

a plurality of semiconductor layers including a nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity grown over the p-type nitride compound semiconductor layer, and a nitride compound semiconductor layer with a pinhole structure grown on the p-type nitride compound semiconductor layer; and

a masking film and a plurality of nitride compound semiconductor layers grown over the nitride compound semiconductor layer with the pinhole structure,

wherein the plurality of semiconductor layers comprises a nitride compound semiconductor layer with p-type conductivity grown over the masking film.

11. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 10, wherein the nitride compound semiconductor layer with p-type conductivity is formed in an island shape.

12. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of nitride compound semiconductor layers comprise an additional nitride compound semiconductor layer with p-type conductivity grown on the nitride compound semiconductor layer with p-type conductivity.

13. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 10, wherein at least one nitride compound semiconductor layer with n-type conductivity is formed by 100 Å

and below inside the nitride compound semiconductor layer with p-type conductivity.

14. The III-nitride compound semiconductor light emitting device of claim 12, wherein the nitride compound semiconductor layer with p-type conductivity is grown at a first growth temperature, the additional nitride compound semiconductor layer with p-type conductivity is grown at a second growth temperature, and the first growth temperature is lower than the second growth temperature.