LEDs with three color RGB pixels for displays

• US 9,941,330 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2017
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globalfoundries US Incorporated (GlobalFoundries, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Inventors: Banna, Srinivasa, Nayak, Deepak, Jacob, Ajey P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Roman, Angel
• Application Number:
  US15/599,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20170338277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/156 two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0066 relating to arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0025 comprising only AIIIBV compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/12 with a stress relaxation structure, e.g. buffer layer
• 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 33/24 of the light emitting region, e.g. non-planar junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/32 containing nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls

Abstract

Devices and methods of forming the devices are disclosed. The device includes a substrate and a color LED pixel disposed on the substrate. The color LED pixel includes a red LED, a green LED and a blue LED. Each of the color LED includes a specific color LED body disposed on the respective color region on the substrate, a specific color multiple quantum well (MQW) on the respective color LED body and a specific color top LED layer disposed over the respective color MQW. The MQWs of the red LED, green LED and blue LED includes at least an indium gallium nitride (In_xGa_1−xN) layer and a gallium nitride (GaN), where x is the atomic percentage of In in the In_xGa_1−xN layer, and the MQWs of the red LED, green LED and blue LED have different bandgaps by varying x of the In_xGa_1−xN layer in the red LED, the green LED and the blue LED.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a substrate; and

a color LED pixel disposed on the substrate, the color LED pixel comprises

a red LED, the red LED comprising

a red LED body disposed on a red region on the substrate,

a red multiple quantum well (MQW) on the red LED body, and

a red top LED layer disposed over the red MQW,

a green LED, the green LED comprising

a green LED body disposed on a green region on the substrate,

a green MQW on the green LED body, and

a green top LED layer disposed over the green MQW,

a blue LED, the blue LED comprising

a blue LED body disposed on a blue region on the substrate,

a blue MQW on the blue LED body, and

a blue top LED layer disposed over the blue MQW, and wherein

the MQWs of the red LED, green LED and blue LED comprise at least an indium gallium nitride (In_xGa<sub>1−

x</sub>N) layer and a gallium nitride (GaN), where x is the atomic percentage of In in the In_xGa<sub>1−

x</sub>N layer, and

the MQWs of the red LED, green LED and blue LED have different bandgaps by varying x of the In_xGa<sub>1−

x</sub>N layer in the red LED, the green LED and the blue LED.

2. The device in claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises

a top or surface plane with a (111) crystal orientation;

and

a doped device well, wherein the doped device well is heavily doped with first type polarity dopants.

3. The device in claim 2, wherein a base layer is disposed over the substrate, the base layer is a composite base layer having multiple layers and comprises

a first base or nucleation layer disposed over the substrate, the nucleation layer is an aluminum nitride (AlN) layer;

and

a second base or buffer layer disposed over the nucleation layer, the buffer layer is a metallic having a wurtzite crystal structure such as GaN.

4. The device in claim 3, wherein the LEDs comprise a second polarity type doped epitaxial top LED layer disposed on the MQWs.

5. The device in claim 1, wherein a MQW includes y quantum wells, where y≥

2, wherein a quantum well (QW) comprises of a well layer sandwiched by barrier layers, wherein the barrier layer is served by a barrier layer from a previous or subsequent QW or by the LED body or by a top LED layer.

6. The device in claim 1, wherein:

the color LED pixel comprises a fin-type LED pixel having a fin body which serves as a common fin body for the red LED, the green LED and the blue LED, the fin body is an elongated member disposed in a row direction;

the fin body includes the red region which serves as the red LED body, the green region which serves as the green LED body and the blue region which serves as the blue LED body; and

the fin body with the red LED, the green LED and the blue LED forms a LED unit of the color LED pixel.

7. The device in claim 1, wherein:

x for the blue LED is about 15-20%;

x for the green LED is about 25-30%; and

x for the red LED is about 35-40%.

8. The device in claim 6, wherein the color LED pixel comprises:

a plurality of LED units in the row direction of color LED pixels, wherein red LEDs of the LED units are aligned in a column direction, green LEDs of the LED units are aligned in the column direction and blue LEDs of the LED units are aligned in the column direction; and

transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layers disposed over the LEDs which are separated by an interconnect dielectric layer, wherein a TCO layer serves to couple same color LEDs of the LED units in the column direction.

9. The device in claim 8, wherein contact regions are disposed in the interconnect dielectric layer and coupled to the TCO layers on a side of the color LED pixel away from the LEDs in the column direction.

10. The device in claim 6, wherein, the fin body comprises a first polarity type medium doped epitaxial GaN elongated member.

11. The device in claim 6, wherein the red region, the green region and the blue region of the fin body have different widths to incorporate different atomic percentages of In, wherein:

a width of the red region of the fin body is less than about 100 nm;

a width of the green region of the fin body is about 200 nm; and

a width of the blue region of the fin body is greater than about 300 nm.

12. The device in claim 1, wherein the color LED pixel comprises:

a red LED module, the red LED module includes a matrix of nanowire-type red LEDs;

a green LED module, the green LED module includes a matrix of nanowire-type green LEDs;

a blue LED module, the blue LED module includes a matrix of nanowire-type blue LEDs; and

wherein each nanowire-type LED includes a nanowire body comprising a first polarity type medium doped epitaxial GaN member.

13. The device in claim 12, wherein the nanowire bodies for the red LEDs, the green LEDs and blue LEDs have different cross-sectional diameters to incorporate different atomic percentages of In, wherein:

nanowire bodies for the red LEDs each has a cross-sectional diameter less than 100 nm;

nanowire bodies for the green LEDs each has a cross-sectional diameter of about 200 nm; and

nanowire bodies for the blue LEDs each has a cross-sectional diameter greater than 300 nm.

14. The device in claim 12, wherein each of the LED modules comprises same number and configuration of LEDs.

15. A method comprising:

providing a substrate; and

forming a color LED pixel on the substrate, wherein forming the color LED pixel comprises

forming a red LED, the red LED comprising

a red LED body disposed on a red region on the substrate,

a red multiple quantum well (MQW) on the red LED body, and

a red top LED layer disposed over the red MQW,

forming a green LED, the green LED comprising

a green LED body disposed on a green region on the substrate,

a green MQW on the green LED body, and

a green top LED layer disposed over the green MQW,

forming a blue LED, the blue LED comprising

a blue LED body disposed on a blue region on the substrate,

a blue MQW on the blue LED body, and

a blue top LED layer disposed over the blue MQW, and wherein

the MQWs of the red LED, green LED and blue LED comprises at least an indium gallium nitride (In_xGa<sub>1−

x</sub>N) layer and a gallium nitride (GaN), where x is the atomic percentage of In in the In_xGa<sub>1−

x</sub>N layer, and

the MQWs of the red LED, green LED and blue LED have different bandgaps by varying x of the In_xGa<sub>1−

x</sub>N layer in the red LED, the green LED and the blue LED.

16. The method in claim 15, wherein forming the color LED pixel comprises forming fin-type LEDs, the fin-type LEDs comprises a fin body, the fin body is a first polarity type medium doped epitaxial GaN elongated member disposed along a first or row direction of the substrate and forms an LED unit with red, green and blue (RGB) LEDs.

17. The method in claim 16, wherein the red region, the green region and the blue region of the fin body have different widths to incorporate different atomic percentages of indium (In), wherein:

a width of the red region of the fin body is less than 100 nm;

a width of the green region of the fin body is about 200 nm; and

a width of the blue region of the fin body is greater than 300 nm.

18. The method in claim 15, wherein forming the color LED pixel comprises:

forming a red LED module, the red LED module includes a matrix of nanowire-type red LEDs;

forming a green LED module, the green LED module includes a matrix of nanowire-type green LEDs;

forming a blue LED module, the blue LED module includes a matrix of nanowire-type blue LEDs; and

wherein each nanowire-type LED includes a nanowire body comprising a first polarity type medium doped epitaxial GaN member.

19. The method in claim 18, wherein the nanowire bodies for the red LEDs, the green LEDs and blue LEDs have different cross-sectional diameters to incorporate different atomic percentages of In, wherein:

nanowire bodies for the red LEDs each has a cross-sectional diameter less than 100 nm;

nanowire bodies for the green LEDs each has a cross-sectional diameter of about 200 nm; and

nanowire bodies for the blue LEDs each has a cross-sectional diameter greater than 300 nm for blue LED.

20. The method in claim 18, wherein forming each of the LED modules comprises forming same number and configuration of LEDs.