Nitride semiconductor light-emitting device

• US 8,942,269 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kasugai, Hideki, Orita, Kenji, Ohno, Hiroshi, Yamanaka, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN N
• Application Number:
  US14/029,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20140023103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 372/44.01
• US Class Current: 372/44.01
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0045 the devices being superluminescent diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0421 characterised by the semiconducting contacting layers electrodes H01S5/0425
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04252 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04253 having specific optical properties, e.g. transparent electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/04254 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2009 by using electron barrier layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/22 having a ridge or stripe structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3211 characterised by special cladding layers, e.g. details on band-discontinuities
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3213 asymmetric clading layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3214 comprising materials from other groups of the periodic system than the materials of the active layer, e.g. ZnSe claddings and GaAs active layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/323 in AIIIBV compounds, e.g. AlGaAs-laser, InP-based laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser

Abstract

A nitride semiconductor light-emitting device having an optical waveguide includes, in the following order, at least: a first cladding layer; an active layer; and a second cladding layer, wherein the second cladding layer includes (i) a transparent conductive layer comprising a transparent conductor and (ii) a nitride semiconductor layer comprising a nitride semiconductor, the nitride semiconductor layer being formed closer to the active layer than the transparent conductive layer.

Claims

1. A nitride semiconductor light-emitting device having an optical waveguide, the nitride semiconductor light-emitting device comprising, in the following order, at least:

a first cladding layer;

an active layer; and

a second cladding layer,

wherein the second cladding layer includes (i) a transparent conductive layer comprising a transparent conductor and (ii) a nitride semiconductor layer comprising a nitride semiconductor, the nitride semiconductor layer being formed closer to the active layer than the transparent conductive layer;

wherein the nitride semiconductor comprises AlxInyGa1-x-yN, where 0<

x≦

0.82, 0<

y≦

0.18, and 0≦

1-x-y<

1;

wherein a material of the transparent conductor is one of tin-added indium oxide, antimony-added tin oxide, and zinc oxide;

wherein the transparent conductive layer has a film thickness greater than 100 nm.

2. The nitride semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1, further comprising

a guide layer formed between the active layer and the second cladding layer,

wherein a total film thickness d of the guide layer and the second cladding layer satisfies 0.1 μ

m<

d<

0.5 μ

m.

3. The nitride semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 1,

wherein the optical waveguide has a vertical mesa structure formed by digging from the second cladding layer to part of the first cladding layer.