Semiconductor light emitting device

• US 8,563,997 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suzhou Lekin Semiconductor Company Limited
• Original Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cheong, Hung Seob
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefer, A.
• Application Number:
  US13/572,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20120305974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 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 flat top surface and a plurality of concave regions from the flat top surface, a reflector within the concave regions of the first semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer.

Claims

1. A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:

a first semiconductor layer comprising a flat top surface and a plurality of concaves;

a reflector within the plurality of concaves of the first semiconductor layer;

a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer;

a third semiconductor layer on the second semiconductor layer; and

an active layer between the second semiconductor layer and the third semiconductor layer,

wherein the reflector has a different material from the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer,

wherein the flat top surface of the first semiconductor layer is physically contacted with a lower surface of the second semiconductor layer and is disposed between the plurality of concaves,

wherein the plurality of concaves are spaced apart from each other and have an interval from a lower surface of the first semiconductor layer,

wherein the second semiconductor layer is formed of a conductive semiconductor layer doped with a dopant,

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

wherein a lower vertex point of the reflector is physically contacted with the first semiconductor layer.

2. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflector includes a silicon-based material.

3. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflector includes a metallic material or a metal oxide based material.

4. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of concaves has a periphery side of multi-angle shape with a lower vertex point.

5. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of concaves includes an upper portion having width wider than that of a lower portion.

6. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 5, wherein the reflector has a slope side with respect from the flat top surface of the first semiconductor layer.

7. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of islands embedded in the lower surface of the first semiconductor layer,

wherein the plurality of islands are spaced apart from each other and have a different material from the first semiconductor layer, and

wherein the first semiconductor layer is disposed between the plurality of islands and the reflector.

8. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of islands are vertically overlapped with a portion of at least one of the plurality of concaves of the first semiconductor layer.

9. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 7, further comprising a substrate under the first semiconductor layer,

wherein the plurality of islands are disposed between the substrate and the first semiconductor layer.

10. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of islands comprises a metal oxide based material.

11. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a top region of at least one of the reflector has a recess between the reflector and the second semiconductor layer,

wherein the recess of the reflector is located lower than the flat top surface of the first semiconductor layer.

12. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor layer comprises a group III-V compound semiconductor which is not doped with a conductive dopant.

13. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of concaves have regular intervals.

14. A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:

a first semiconductor layer comprising a flat top surface and a plurality of concaves;

a second semiconductor layer disposed on the first semiconductor layer and including a first conductive type dopant;

a reflector within the plurality of concaves;

a first electrode connected to the second semiconductor layer;

a third semiconductor layer disposed on the second semiconductor layer and including a second conductive type dopant;

an active layer between the second semiconductor layer and the third semiconductor layer;

an electrode layer on the third semiconductor layer,

wherein the reflector has a different material from 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 flat top surface of the first semiconductor layer is disposed between the plurality of concaves,

wherein the second semiconductor layer is formed of a conductive nitride-based semiconductor layer doped with a dopant,

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

wherein at least one of the plurality of concaves has a polyhedron shape with a lower vertex point,

wherein a lower vertex point of the reflector is physically contacted with the first semiconductor layer, and

wherein the second semiconductor layer is physically contacted with the first semiconductor layer and is electrically connected to the first electrode.

15. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of concaves includes an upper portion of pyramid shape.

16. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, comprising at least one cavity between the reflector and the second semiconductor layer,

wherein the cavity includes a medium having a refraction index smaller than that of the reflector.

17. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, wherein the reflector includes the material having a refraction index smaller than that of the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer.

18. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, further comprising an island corresponding to the plurality of concaves and disposed on the first semiconductor layer,

wherein the island has a different material from the first semiconductor layer, and

wherein the first semiconductor layer is disposed between the island and the reflector.

19. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 14, wherein the reflector comprises at least one of SiO₂, SiO_x, SiN_x, SiO_xN_y, a metal material and a group III-V compound semiconductor.

20. A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:

a first semiconductor layer comprising a flat top surface region and a concave regions;

a reflector within the concave regions of the first semiconductor layer;

a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer;

a third semiconductor layer on the second semiconductor layer; and

an active layer between the second semiconductor layer and the third semiconductor layer,

wherein the reflector has a different material from the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer,

wherein the flat top surface region of the first semiconductor layer is physically contacted with a lower surface of the second semiconductor layer,

wherein the concave region has at least two concaves and a position of the concaves is positioned less high than the flat top surface region from a lower surface of the first semiconductor layer,

wherein the second semiconductor layer is formed of a conductive semiconductor layer doped with a dopant,

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

wherein at least one of the plurality of concaves has a polyhedron shape with a lower vertex point, and

wherein a lower vertex point of the reflector is physically contacted with the first semiconductor layer.