Semiconductor light emitting device

• US 9,368,681 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nichia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nichia Corporation
• Inventors: Niki, Isamu, Yamada, Motokazu, Sano, Masahiko, Shioji, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefer, A.
• Application Number:
  US14/316,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20140299974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 257/95, 257/98
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02378 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02647 Lateral overgrowth
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0083 Periodic patterns for optical field-shaping in or on the semiconductor body or semiconductor body package, e.g. photonic bandgap structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/16 with a particular crystal structure or orientation, e.g. polycrystalline, amorphous or porous
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/22 Roughened surfaces, e.g. at the interface between epitaxial layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/24 of the light emitting region, e.g. non-planar junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/26 Materials of the light emitting region
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/38 with a particular shape
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24479 including variation in thickness

Abstract

A semiconductor light emitting device including a substrate, an electrode and a light emitting region is provided. The substrate may have protruding portions formed in a repeating pattern on substantially an entire surface of the substrate while the rest of the surface may be substantially flat. The cross sections of the protruding portions taken along planes orthogonal to the surface of the substrate may be semi-circular in shape. The cross sections of the protruding portions may in alternative be convex in shape. A buffer layer and a GaN layer may be formed on the substrate.

Claims

1. A semiconductor light emitting device comprising:

an n-type semiconductor layer, a light emitting layer and a p-type semiconductor layer which are GaN-based semiconductors and formed on a primary surface of a C plane (0001) sapphire substrate, the sapphire substrate comprising a plurality of protrusions formed on the primary surface of the sapphire substrate in a two-dimensionally repeated pattern, and the protrusions having a shape of a polygon in plan view of the light emitting device, said polygon having two adjacent component sides that are perpendicular to A-axis of said GaN-based semiconductors,

wherein in the plan view, an external shape of the semiconductor light emitting device is a polygon having two adjacent component sides that make the same angle as the two adjacent component sides of the protrusions.

2. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the p-type semiconductor layer is removed to expose a surface of the n-type semiconductor layer so that an n-side electrode is formed on the exposed surface of the n-type semiconductor layer, the exposed surface of the n-type semiconductor layer being located inside the p-type semiconductor layer in the plan view of the light emitting device.

3. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 2, further comprising a p-side pad electrode connected to the p-type semiconductor layer and having a branch electrode that is formed along an outer periphery of the p-type semiconductor layer.

4. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 2, wherein the n-side electrode formed on the exposed surface of the n-type semiconductor layer extends toward vertexes of the external shape of the light emitting device.

5. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 2, wherein the n-type semiconductor layer having the exposed surface comprises Si-doped GaN.

6. The semiconductor light emitting device according to claim 1, further comprising a mixture of a fluorescent material including YAG and a resin, which is formed on a surface of the semiconductor light emitting device.