Semiconductor light emitting device having roughness layer

• US 8,723,202 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2010
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suzhou Lekin Semiconductor Company Limited
• Original Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jeong, Hwan Hee
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickey, Thomas L
• Application Number:
  US12/883,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20110001160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 257/98, 257/E33.006, 257/E33.062, 257/E33.063
• US Class Current: 257/98
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/04 with a quantum effect structure or superlattice, e.g. tunnel junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/22 Roughened surfaces, e.g. at the interface between epitaxial layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen

Abstract

A semiconductor light emitting device includes a substrate, a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer on the first conductive semiconductor layer, a second conductive semiconductor layer on the active layer, and a roughness layer on the second conductive semiconductor layer. The second conductive semiconductor layer includes a shape of multiple horns, and the roughness layer includes a shape of multiple horns. The second conductive semiconductor layer includes a roughness in which horn shapes and inverse-horn-shaped shapes are alternately formed, and the roughness has a height of about 0.5 μm to about 1.2 μm and a diameter of about 0.3 μm to about 1.0 μm.

Claims

1. A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:

a substrate;

a first conductive semiconductor layer on the substrate;

an active layer on the first conductive semiconductor layer;

a second conductive semiconductor layer on the active layer, the second conductive semiconductor layer including a top surface and a bottom surface opposing to the top surface, the bottom surface being adjacent to the active layer;

a roughness layer disposed on the second conductive semiconductor layer and including Al material;

a conductive layer including Ti material on the roughness layer; and

at least one of a first AlGaN based semiconductor layer disposed on the active layer and a second AlGaN based semiconductor layer disposed under the active layer,

wherein the first conductive semiconductor layer includes a first GaN layer and the second conductive semiconductor layer includes a second GaN layer,

wherein the second conductive semiconductor layer includes a plurality of apexes on the top surface, the distance between at least two apexes of the plurality of apexes is about 0.3 μ

m to about 1.0 μ

m,

wherein the conductive layer includes a lower surface having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer, and

wherein the roughness layer includes a lower surface having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

2. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, further comprising an electrode on the second conductive semiconductor layer, wherein the electrode has a bottom surface with a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

3. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive layer includes an upper surface having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

4. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the roughness layer includes an upper surface having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

5. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the roughness layer is a semiconductor layer.

6. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the roughness layer is formed of a same semiconductor material as that of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

7. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the roughness layer has a thickness of about 1000 Å

to about 2000 Å

.

8. A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:

a first conductive semiconductor layer;

an active layer on the first conductive semiconductor layer;

a second conductive semiconductor layer on the active layer;

a roughness layer on the second conductive semiconductor layer and including Al material; and

a conductive layer on the roughness layer and including Ti material,

wherein a top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer includes a roughness,

wherein the roughness layer includes a lower surface having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer, and

wherein the conductive layer includes a lower surface having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

9. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 8, wherein the first conductive semiconductor layer includes a first GaN layer and the second conductive semiconductor layer includes a second GaN layer.

10. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 8, wherein the second conductive semiconductor layer includes a plurality of apexes on the top surface, the distance between at least two apexes of the plurality of apexes is of about 0.3 μ

m to about 1.0 μ

m.

11. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 8, further comprising an electrode on the roughness layer, wherein the electrode has a bottom surface with a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

12. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 8, wherein the conductive layer includes an upper surface having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

13. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 8, wherein the roughness layer includes an upper surface having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

14. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 8, wherein the roughness layer has a thickness of about 1000 Å

to about 2000 Å

.

15. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a first electrode electrically connected to the first conductive semiconductor layer; and

a second electrode electrically connected to the second conductive semiconductor layer.

16. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 8, further comprising an AlGaN based semiconductor layer disposed on the active layer.

17. A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:

a first conductive semiconductor layer;

an active layer on the first conductive semiconductor layer;

a second conductive semiconductor layer on the active layer, the second conductive semiconductor layer including a top surface having a random structure in which protruding apex patterns and recessed valley patterns are arranged;

a roughness layer directly on the second conductive semiconductor layer, the roughness layer including top and bottom surfaces with a random structure corresponding to the random structure of the second conductive semiconductor layer; and

an electrode on the roughness layer, the electrode including a bottom surface with a random structure corresponding to the random structure of the second conductive semiconductor layer,

wherein a height of one of the protruding apex patterns of the random structure of the second conductive semiconductor layer is different from a height of another protruding apex pattern placed next thereto,

wherein a distance between two of the recessed valley patterns of the second conductive semiconductor layer placed next to each other is different from a distance between another two recessed valley patterns placed next thereto,

wherein a height difference between an uppermost protruding apex pattern of the random structure of the second conductive semiconductor layer and a lowermost recessed valley pattern of the random structure of the second conductive semiconductor layer is in a range of about 0.5 μ

m to about 1.2 μ

m, and

wherein a distance between two protruding apex patterns of the random structure of the second conductive semiconductor layer placed next to each other is in the range of about 0.3 μ

m to about 1.0 μ

m.

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

a conductive cladding layer on the active layer, the conductive cladding layer being an AlGaN based layer.

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

a conductive layer on the roughness layer including an upper surface having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

20. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 17, wherein the first conductive semiconductor layer includes a first GaN layer and the second conductive semiconductor layer includes a second GaN layer.