Semiconductor light emitting device

• US 8,263,989 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cheong, Hung Seob
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefer, A.
• Application Number:
  US12/434,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20090272993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 257/94, 257 96- 98, 257/103
• US Class Current: 257/97
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/10 with a light reflecting structure, e.g. semiconductor Bragg reflector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen

Abstract

A semiconductor light emitting device comprises a first nitride semiconductor layer comprising a plurality of concave portions, a reflector in at least one of the concave portions of the first nitride semiconductor layer, and a second nitride semiconductor layer on the first nitride semiconductor layer.

Claims

1. A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:

a first semiconductor layer comprising a plurality of concave portions, the plurality of concave portions disposed on an upper portion of the first semiconductor layer;

a reflector having a concaved upper surface, the reflector on at least one of the plurality of concave portions of the first semiconductor layer;

a plurality of island patterns disposed in an lower portion of the first semiconductor layer;

a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer;

an active layer on the second semiconductor layer; and

a third semiconductor layer on the active layer,

wherein a material of the reflector differs from materials of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer,

wherein the reflector is disposed between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer,

wherein the plurality of island patterns are vertically aligned with the plurality of concave portions of the first semiconductor layer, and

wherein a lower surface of the second semiconductor layer includes protrusions on the concaved top surface of the reflector, the protrusions protruding toward the first semiconductor layer.

2. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one cavity between the reflector and the second semiconductor layer,

wherein the cavity has a refraction index lower than a refraction index of the reflector.

3. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 2, wherein the reflector or the cavity comprises an inverse cone shape or an inverse multi-angle horn shape.

4. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 2, wherein a width of the at least one cavity is about 0.01 μ

m to 1 μ

m, and a depth of the at least one cavity is about 0.01 μ

m to 10 μ

m.

5. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, comprising at least one of an undoped semiconductor layer, a buffer layer, and a substrate under the first semiconductor layer.

6. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, comprising:

a second electrode on the third semiconductor layer.

7. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, comprising:

a substrate under the first semiconductor layer; and

wherein the plurality of island patterns are spaced apart from the plurality of concave portions of the first semiconductor layer and are disposed on the substrate.

8. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of island patterns comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of SiO₂, SiO_x, SiN_x, SiO_xN_y and a metal material.

9. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflector comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of SiO₂, SiO_x, SiN_x, and SiO_xN_y.

10. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflector comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a hetero joined reflector, a periodically hetero joined super lattice structure, a hetero reflector having no period and a Distributed-Bragg Reflector (DBR) structure.

11. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein at least one side of the plurality of concave portions is sloped with respect to a flat top surface of the first semiconductor layer.

12. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the concaved upper surface of the reflector is formed lower than a top surface of the first semiconductor layer.

13. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is formed of at least one of the semiconductor group consisting of GaN, InN, AlN, InGaN, AlGaN and InAlGaN.

14. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is formed in a multi layers by selectively using a group III-V compound semiconductors.

15. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 2, wherein the refraction index of the cavity is about 1.

16. A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:

a first semiconductor layer comprising a plurality of concave portions which are disposed on an upper portion of the first semiconductor layer;

a first electrode under the first semiconductor layer;

a reflector on at least one of the plurality of concave portions of the first semiconductor layer;

a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer, the second semiconductor layer including a first type dopant;

an active layer on the second semiconductor layer; and

a third semiconductor layer on the active layer, the third semiconductor layer including a second type dopant; and

an electrode layer on the third semiconductor layer,

wherein a material of the reflector differs from materials of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer,

wherein the reflector is disposed between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer,

wherein the reflector is formed of a metal material, and

wherein a lower surface of the second semiconductor layer is physically contacted with an upper surface of the first semiconductor layer and a portion of the reflector.

17. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 16, further comprising:

at least one cavity disposed between the reflector and the second semiconductor layer, wherein the cavity has a refraction index lower than that of the reflector.