LED semiconductor body and use of an LED semiconductor body

• US 8,115,219 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSRAM OLED GMBH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Windisch, Reiner, Wirth, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Malsawma, Lex
• Application Number:
  US12/443,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20100019259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,631 Days
• Field of Search: 257/97, 257/E33.064
• US Class Current: 257/97
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0083 Periodic patterns for optical field-shaping in or on the semiconductor body or semiconductor body package, e.g. photonic bandgap structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/08 with a plurality of light emitting regions, e.g. laterally discontinuous light emitting layer or photoluminescent region integrated within the semiconductor body H01L27/15 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate

Abstract

An LED semiconductor body includes at least one first radiation-generating active layer and at least one second radiation-generating active layer, wherein the LED semiconductor body has a photonic crystal.

Claims

1. An LED (light emitting diode) semiconductor body comprising:

a first radiation-generating active layer;

a second radiation-generating active layer; and

a photonic crystal,

wherein the first active layer and the second active layer generate radiation having the same wavelength.

2. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the photonic crystal has a plurality of first regions having a first refractive index and a plurality of second regions having a second refractive index.

3. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second regions are arranged regularly.

4. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second regions form a 1-dimensional, 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional lattice.

5. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second regions are connected to one another.

6. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first regions are surrounded by the second regions.

7. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first regions are filled or unfilled depressions in a semiconductor layer of the LED semiconductor body.

8. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first regions have a width and/or depth of between 100 nm and 500 nm.

9. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first active layer and the second active layer are arranged one above the other in a vertical direction.

10. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first active layer and the second active layer are monolithically integrated in the semiconductor body.

11. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a carrier element, wherein the LED semiconductor body element is arranged on the carrier element.

12. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 11, wherein the carrier element is electrically conductive.

13. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 11, wherein the carrier element is different from a growth substrate for the LED semiconductor body.

14. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 13, wherein the growth substrate has been removed from the semiconductor body.

15. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a reflection layer arranged between the LED semiconductor body element and the carrier element, the reflection layer for reflecting radiation generated in the LED semiconductor body element in a direction of the photonic crystal.

16. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 15, wherein the reflection layer comprises at least one of the materials Au, Al, Zn and/or Ag.

17. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 15, wherein the reflection layer comprises a transparent conductive oxide (TCO).

18. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 15, wherein the reflection layer is electrically conductive.

19. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 15, wherein the reflection layer comprises a silicon nitride or silicon oxide.

20. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 15, wherein the photonic crystal is arranged between the reflection layer and the LED semiconductor body element.

21. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 11, wherein the photonic crystal is arranged on a side of the LED semiconductor body element that is remote from the carrier element.

22. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a tunnel junction between the first active layer and the second active layer.

23. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 22, wherein the tunnel junction comprises a highly doped layer of a first conductivity type and a highly doped layer of a second conductivity type.

24. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first active layer and/or the second active layer comprises Al_nGa_mIn_1-n-mP, where 0≦

n≦

1, 0≦

m≦

1 and n+m≦

1.

25. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first active layer and/or the second active layer comprises Al_nGa_mIn_1-n-mAs, where 0≦

n≦

1, 0≦

m≦

1 and n+m≦

1.

26. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first active layer and/or the second active layer comprises Al_nGa_mIn_1-n-mN, where 0≦

n≦

1, 0≦

m≦

1 and n+m≦

1.

27. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconductor body emits radiation in a vertical direction.

28. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 27, wherein the emission angle is α

≦

30°

.

29. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the LED semiconductor body is a thin-film semiconductor body.

30. An LED (light emitting diode) semiconductor body comprising:

a first radiation-generating active layer configured to generate radiation at a first wavelength;

a second radiation-generating active layer overlying the first radiation-generating active layer in a vertical direction that is perpendicular to a main extension direction of the first and second active layers, the second radiation-generating active layer configured to generate radiation at the same first wavelength; and

a photonic crystal overlying the first and second radiation-generating active layers.

31. The LED semiconductor body as claimed in claim 30, further comprising a third radiation-generating active layer, wherein the photonic crystal overlies the third radiation generating active layer.