III-Nitride light-emitting devices with reflective engineered growth templates and manufacturing method

• US 8,890,183 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lightwave Photonics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lightwave Photonics, Inc.
• Inventors: Jorgenson, Robbie J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dao H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tram H
• Application Number:
  US13/597,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20130056777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 257/94, 257 12- 15, 257/22, 257/96, 257/97, 257/98, 257/46, 257/592, 257/929, 257/81, 257/82, 257/91, 257/99, 257/100, 257/116, 257/117, 257432-437, 257/749, 257E33056-E33059, 257/E25.032, 257/E21.086, 257E21097-E211, 257E21108-E21113, 257E21117-E21118, 257/E21.542, 257/E21.543, 257E21697-E21699, 257/E31.371, 257/E21.387, 257E21403-E21407, 257/E21.441, 257/E21.445, 257E21448-E21452, 438 25- 28, 438/46, 438/47, 438/77, 438/84, 438 93- 95, 438/102, 438/401, 438/188, 438/189, 438/285, 438603-604, 438/606, 438930-933, 438/29, 438/22, 438/39, 438/40, 438/41, 438/44
• US Class Current: 257/94
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/105 with a resonant cavity structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/405 Reflective materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/465 with a resonant cavity structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/60 Reflective elements

Abstract

A light emitter includes a first mirror that is an epitaxially grown metal mirror, a second mirror, and an active region that is epitaxially grown such that the active region is positioned at or close to, at least, one antinode between the first mirror and the second mirror.

Claims

1. A light-emitting device comprising:

a first mirror having a first face and an opposite second face and having a lattice constant, wherein the first mirror includes a metal; and

an epitaxial structure, wherein the epitaxial structure covers at least a portion of the first face of the first mirror and has a lattice constant that substantially matches the lattice constant of the first mirror, the epitaxial structure having an active region configured to emit light, wherein the active region is separated by a first distance from the first face of the first mirror such that the active region is located at or substantially at an antinode of a first standing optical wave produced by interference of light emitted from the active region with light reflected by the first mirror to form at least one extraction mode.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the

first mirror is an epitaxial metal mirror, and wherein the device further includes:

a second mirror; and

wherein the

antinode is located between the first mirror and the second mirror.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a crystalline III-nitride layer, wherein the first mirror is

a planar specular grown epitaxial metal mirror layer grown over the crystalline III-nitride layer.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the epitaxial structure further includes:

an n-type group III-nitride layer positioned between the first mirror and the active region; and

a p-type group III-nitride structure covering at least a portion of a face of the active region that is opposite the first face of the first mirror.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the p-type group III-nitride structure includes a p-type AlGaN layer covering at least a portion of the active region and a p-type GaN layer covering at least a portion of the p-type AlGaN layer, and wherein the n-type group III-nitride layer includes an n-type GaN layer.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the epitaxial structure further includes:

a p-type group III-nitride structure positioned between the first mirror and the active region; and

an n-type group III-nitride layer covering at least a portion of a face of the active region that is opposite the first face of the first mirror.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the p-type group III-nitride structure includes a p-type AlGaN layer covering at least a portion of the active region and a p-type GaN layer positioned between the p-type AlGaN layer and the first mirror, and wherein the n-type group III-nitride layer includes an n-type GaN layer.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the first mirror has a lattice constant;

and wherein the epitaxial structure has a lattice constant that is substantially matched to the lattice constant of the first mirror.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the first mirror is an epitaxial metal mirror, and wherein the first mirror is partially transmissive and partially reflective to incident light.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the first mirror includes a plurality of layers.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the first mirror includes a nitride of the metal.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal is a transitional metal and the first mirror includes a nitride of the transitional metal.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the first mirror includes a boride of the metal.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal is a transitional metal and the first mirror includes a diboride of the transitional metal.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal includes Hf_xZr_1-x, where x is between 0 and 1, inclusive.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal is in a nitride compound that includes (Hf_xZr_yTi_z)N where x+y+z=1 and where x is between 0 and 1, inclusive, and where y is between 0 and 1, inclusive, and where z is between 0 and 1, inclusive.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the metal is in a diboride compound that includes (Hf_xZr_yY_z)B₂ where x+y+z=1 and where x is between 0 and 1, inclusive, and where y is between 0 and 1, inclusive, and where z is between 0 and 1, inclusive.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the first mirror is an epitaxial metal mirror, wherein the first mirror has a thickness such that the first mirror is partially transmissive and partially reflective to incident light, the device further comprising:

a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR); and

a phase matching layer positioned between the first mirror and the DBR.

19. The light-emitting device of claim 1, further comprising a second mirror,

wherein the first mirror is an epitaxial metal mirror,

wherein the second mirror is an epitaxial metal mirror that has a lattice constant,

wherein the epitaxial structure is located between the first mirror and the second mirror and the lattice constant of the epitaxial structure substantially matches the lattice constant of the second mirror, and

wherein the second mirror is partially transmissive.

20. The device of claim 1, further comprising a photonic crystal structure positioned to cover at least a portion of a face of the epitaxial structure that is opposite the first face of the first mirror.