Nitride semiconductor light emitting device and fabrication method thereof

• US 8,558,258 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Focus Lightings Tech Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Suk Hun
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gebreyesus, Yosef
• Application Number:
  US13/524,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20120248411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 257/9, 257/13, 257/14, 257/15, 257/17, 257/22, 257/94, 257/96, 257/97, 257/103, 257/193, 257/200, 257/E33.008, 257/E33.009, 257/E33.01, 257/E31.035, 257/E31.036, 257/E29.072, 257/E29.074, 257/E29.298
• US Class Current: 257/94
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/12 with a stress relaxation structure, e.g. buffer layer

Abstract

The present invention relates to a nitride semiconductor light emitting device including: a substrate having a predetermined pattern formed on a surface thereof by an etch; a protruded portion disposed on a non-etched region of the substrate, and having a first buffer layer and a first nitride semiconductor layer stacked thereon; a second buffer layer formed on the etched region of the substrate; a second nitride semiconductor layer formed on the second buffer layer and the protruded portion; a third nitride semiconductor layer formed on the second nitride semiconductor layer; an active layer formed on the third nitride semiconductor layer to emit light; and a fourth nitride semiconductor layer formed on the active layer. According to the present invention, the optical extraction efficiency of the nitride semiconductor light emitting device can be enhanced.

Claims

1. A light emitting device comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of patterns;

a first conductive semiconductor layer on a buffer layer, wherein the first conductive semiconductor layer includes first to third GaN-based layers, wherein the first GaN-based layer includes Si dopant, the second Ga-based layer includes a dopant having a lower concentration of Si than the first GaN-based layer, and the third GaN-based layer includes In material, wherein the first conductive semiconductor layer further comprises a fourth GaN-based layer including Al material, and wherein the fourth GaN-based layer has a planar surface;

an active layer on the third GaN-based layer of the first conductive semiconductor layer, wherein the active layer comprises a single quantum well layer or a multi quantum well layer of In_xGa_1-xN/In_yGa_1-yN; and

a second conductive semiconductor layer on the active layer.

2. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate includes one of sapphire, silicon carbide, silicon, or GaAs.

3. The light emitting device according to claim 1, further comprising a contact layer on the second conductive semiconductor layer.

4. The light emitting device according to claim 3, wherein the first conductive semiconductor layer and the contact layer have a first conductivity and the second conductive semiconductor layer has a second conductivity, and

wherein the first conductivity and the second conductivity are different from each other.

5. The light emitting device according to claim 1, further the buffer layer on the substrate.

6. The light emitting device according to claim 5, wherein the buffer layer includes one of a stack structure of AlInN/GaN, a super lattice structure of InGaN/GaN, a stack structure of In_xGa_1-xN/GaN, a stack structure of Al_xIn_yGa₁₋

(x+y)N/In_xGa_1-xN/GaN, an undoped GaN layer, or doped GaN layer.

7. The light emitting device according to claim 1, further comprising a transparent electrode on the second conductive semiconductor layer.

8. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the second conductive semiconductor layer includes a super lattice structure.

9. The light emitting device according to claim 8, wherein one period of the super lattice structure has a thickness less than 250 Å

.

10. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the third GaN-based layer has a content of an Indium of less than 5%.

11. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive semiconductor layer includes an Al-doped layer.

12. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a width of an upper portion of the pattern is narrower than a width of a lower portion of the pattern.

13. The light emitting device according to claim 1, further at least one of the buffer layer and a fifth GaN-based layer on the patterns to form a protrusion shape.

14. The light emitting device according to claim 13, wherein the fifth GaN-based layer includes In material.