Method of manufacturing a light-emitting diode having electrically active and passive portions

• US 8,470,618 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique
• Original Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique
• Inventors: Massies, Jean, Damilano, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENRY, CALEB E
• Application Number:
  US12/882,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20110045623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 438/22, 438/47
• US Class Current: 438/22
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/15 including semiconductor components having potential barriers, specially adapted for light emission
• 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

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a making a matrix of III-V nitride, the matrix including at least an active first portion through which an electrical current passes and at least a passive second portion through which no electrical current passes, the matrix including at least a first zone forming a first quantum confinement region made of a III-V nitride, the first zone being positioned in the active first portion, and at least a second zone forming a second quantum confinement region made of III-V nitride, such that the second zone is positioned to the passive portion of the matrix.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a light-emitting diode, the method comprising:

(a) making a matrix in an epitaxial manner from a material comprising III-V nitride;

(b) creating an active portion of the matrix through which electricity passes;

(c) creating a passive portion of the matrix through which electricity passage is deterred, wherein the active portion and the passive portion are made in a monolithic and single piece manner from the material comprising III-V nitride; and

(d) creating zones of at least one of;

(i) a stack of quantum wells, and (ii) planes of quantum dots, the zones being in the active and passive portions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) creating the zone in the active portion to emit photons of at least a first wavelength in response to electricity in the active portion; and

(b) creating the zone in the passive portion to emit photons of at least a second wavelength, different than the first wavelength, due to optical pumping by the photons emitted by the zone in the active portion.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second wavelength corresponds to yellow light.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first wavelength corresponds to blue light.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the wavelengths of the zones diffuse white light.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising using quantum wells of an InGaN/GaN type in the zone in the active portion.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising using quantum dots of a GaN/AlN type in the zone in the passive portion.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) attaching a positive, metallic electrical terminal;

(b) attaching a negative, metallic electrical terminal; and

(c) attaching a semitransparent electrical contact.

9. A method of manufacturing a light-emitting diode, the method comprising:

(a) making an electrically active area and an electrically passive area in a material comprising III-V nitride, wherein the active area and the passive area are made in a monolithic manner from the material comprising III-V nitride;

(b) creating quantum confinement in the active area;

(c) creating quantum confinement in the passive area;

(d) creating a quantum gate between the areas; and

(e) selecting quantum features for the active and passive areas so that a combination of a light signal corresponding to photon wavelengths diffuses a substantially temporally stable white light.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the feature selected for the active area comprises quantum wells.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the feature selected for the active area comprises an InGaN/GaN type material.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the feature selected for the passive area comprises quantum dots.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the feature selected for the passive area comprises a GaN/AlN type material.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

(a) creating the zone in the active area to emit photons of at least a first wavelength in response to electricity in the active area; and

(b) creating the zone in the passive area to emit photons of at least a second wavelength, different than the first wavelength, due to optical pumping by the photons emitted by the zone in the active area.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

(a) attaching a positive, metallic electrical terminal;

(b) attaching a negative, metallic electrical terminal; and

(c) attaching a semitransparent electrical contact.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising epitaxially growing the entire matrix.

17. A method of making a light-emitting device, the method comprising:

(a) epitaxially growing an entire III-V nitride matrix in a monolithic manner;

(b) creating an electrically conductive portion of the matrix including photon emitting features;

(c) creating an electrically resistant portion of the matrix including photon emitting features pumped by the photons emitted from the conductive portion; and

(d) creating the matrix to generate light in the whole visible spectrum.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising using quantum wells for at least one of the features.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising using quantum dots for at least one of the features.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising using InGaN/GaN type material for at least one of the features.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising using GaN/AlN type material for at least one of the features.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising epitaxially creating a quantum gate between the conductive and resistant portions of the matrix.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising attaching a positive electrical terminal to a section of the matrix opposite the resistant portion, with the conductive portion therebetween.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising attaching a positive electrical terminal to a section of the matrix on the same side of the conductive portion as the resistant portion.