Semiconductor epitaxial structure and light-emitting device thereof

• US 9,385,269 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2012
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: South China Normal University (Guangdong Education Department)
• Original Assignee: South China Normal University (Guangdong Education Department)
• Inventors: Mei, Ting, Wang, Naiyin, Li, Hao, Wan, Lei
• Primary Examiner(s): Mandala, Michelle
• Application Number:
  US14/130,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20150340551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/14 with a carrier transport control structure, e.g. highly-doped semiconductor layer or current-blocking structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/145 with a current-blocking structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/17 Semiconductor lasers comprising special layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0421 characterised by the semiconducting contacting layers electrodes H01S5/0425
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/2009 by using electron barrier layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3054 p-doping
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34346 characterised by the materials of the barrier layers

Abstract

The present invention discloses an epitaxial structure for semiconductor light-emitting device, comprising an electron injection region, a hole injection region, a multi-quantum well active region, a potential barrier layer for blocking carriers, and one or more band edge shaping layers. The doping type and/or doping concentration of said band edge shaping layers are different from those of the adjacent layers. It may trim the band edge shape of the semiconductor energy band through the local built-in electric field formed as a result of adjusting the doping type, doping concentration and/or layer thickness thereof, such that the carriers in the multi-quantum well active region are distributed uniformly, the overall Auger recombination is decreased, and the effective potential barrier height of the potential barrier layer for blocking carriers is increased to reduce the drain current formed by carriers overflowing out of the multi-quantum well active region, thereby improving internal quantum efficiency. The present invention further discloses a semiconductor light-emitting device that employs said epitaxial structure, which similarly achieves the effects of reduced Auger recombination and/or decreased drain current through the trimming of the band edge shape of the energy band structure by the local built-in electric field, thereby improving internal quantum efficiency of the device.

Claims

1. An epitaxial structure for semiconductor light-emitting device, characterized in that it comprises an electron injection region, a multi-quantum well active region and a hole injection region, as well as one or more band edge shaping layers;

the doping type and/or doping concentration of said band edge shaping layers are different from those of the adjacent layers, said doping type being non-doping, P-type doping or N-type doping;

the band edge shaping layer trims the band edge shape of a semiconductor energy band of the epitaxial structure through the local built-in electric field formed as a result of adjusting the doping type, doping concentration and/or layer thickness thereof;

the band edge shaping layer is disposed between the electron injection region and the multi-quantum well active region to adjust the position of electron ground state level of quantum wells in the multi-quantum well active region relative to the quasi fermi level such that the carrier concentration in the quantum well layer inside the multi-quantum well active region is distributed uniformly and the overall Auger recombination is decreased;

when the band edge shaping layer is disposed between the electron injection region and the multi quantum well active region, the band edge shaping layer makes the electron ground state level of quantum wells in the multi-quantum well active region to be decreased relative to the quasi fermi level; and

the farther a quantum well is away from the band edge shaping layer, the less its electron ground state level is decreased relative to the quasi fermi level.

2. The epitaxial structure as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that when there are a plurality of band edge shaping layers, they are disposed at both sides of the multi-quantum well active region at the same time, specifically:

disposed between the electron injection region and the multi-quantum well active region and disposed together with the potential barrier layer for blocking carriers between the multi-quantum well active region and the hole injection region.

3. The epitaxial structure as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that when there are a plurality of band edge shaping layers, they are all disposed at the same side of the multi-quantum well active region, specifically:

disposed between the multi-quantum well active region and the hole injection region, each band edge shaping layer having a different doping type, doping concentration and/or layer thickness.

4. A semiconductor light-emitting device made with said epitaxial structure as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that it at least comprises an electron injection region, a band edge shaping layer, a multi-quantum well active region and a hole injection region that are arranged sequentially.

5. A semiconductor light-emitting device made with said epitaxial structure as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that it at least comprises an electron injection region, a multi-quantum well active region, a band edge shaping layer, a potential barrier layer for blocking carriers and a hole injection region that are arranged sequentially.

6. A semiconductor light-emitting device made with said epitaxial structure as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that it comprises two band edge shaping layers, which are the first band edge shaping layer and the second band edge shaping layer, respectively;

the epitaxial structure of said semiconductor light-emitting device at least comprises an electron injection region, the second band edge shaping layer, a multi-quantum well active region, the first band edge shaping layer, a potential barrier layer for blocking carriers and a hole injection region that are arranged sequentially.

7. A semiconductor light-emitting device made with said epitaxial structure as set forth in claim 3, characterized in that it comprises two band edge shaping layers, which are the first band edge shaping layer and the second band edge shaping layer, respectively;

the first band edge shaping layer is N type doped and the second band edge shaping layer is P-type doped;

the epitaxial structure of said semiconductor light emitting device at least comprises an electron injection region, a multi-quantum well active region, a potential barrier layer for blocking carriers, the second band edge shaping layer, the first band edge shaping layer and a hole injection region that are arranged sequentially.