Single mirror light-emitting diodes with enhanced intensity

• US 5,362,977 A
• Filed: 12/28/1992
• Issued: 11/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: Schubert, Erdmann F., Hunt, Neil E. J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Jr., Jerome
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kelley, Nathan K.
• Application Number:
  US07/997,415
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 257/12, 257/13, 257/14, 257/15, 257/22, 257/94, 257/96, 257/97, 257/98
• US Class Current: 257/98
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/465 with a resonant cavity structure

Abstract

This invention embodies single mirror light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with enhanced intensity. The LEDs are Group III-V and/or II-IV compound semiconductor structures with a single metallic mirror. The enhanced intensity is obtained by placing an active region of the LED having from two to ten, preferably from four to eight, quantum wells at an anti-node of the optical node of the device created by a nearby metallic mirror. Such multiquantum well LED structures exhibit enhanced efficiencies approaching that of a perfect isotropic emitter.

Claims

1. A light-emitting diode (LED) which comprises a semiconductor structure including an active region, and a top electrode and a bottom electrode to the structure, wherein

said top electrode is a reflector and said bottom electrode has a window for passage of light emission of the device, said top electrode sets up a standing optical wave for light emitted through said window,

said active region comprises a plurality of quantum wells positioned relative to the top electrode so that the center of the active region occurs at a distance from the top electrode which is greater than λ

/2, wherein λ

is the emission wavelength of the semiconductor, said active region fits into an anti-node of an optical mode of the LED, and the center of said active region occurs at a position of at leat a second anti-note of the standing optical wave.

2. The LED of claim 1, in which said plurality of quantum wells includes us to ten quantum wells.

3. The LED of claim 1, in which said plurality of quantum wells includes six quantum wells.

4. The LED of claim 1 in which said structure comprises in an ascending order from the bottom electrode:

a substrate, a bottom confining region, an active region, a top confining region and a contact layer.

5. The LED of claim 4, in which a dielectric barrier layer is on the contact layer, the barrier layer having a window exposing an area of the contact layer,

said top electrode being in contact with the barrier layer and, through said window, with the contact layer.

6. The LED of claim 4, in which said semiconductor structure is an Al_x Ga_1-x As/GaAs/In_y Ga_1-y As system, with x ranging from 0.1 to 0.4, and y ranging from 0.05 to 0.25.

7. The LED of claim 6, in which said active region comprises In_y Ga_1-y As quantum wells clad by GaAs.

8. The LED of claim 7, in which said x is equal to 0.2 and y is 0.16.

9. The LED of claim 1, in which said top electrode comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Ag, Au, AuBe, AuZn, Cr and Ti.

10. A light emitting diode (LED) which comprises a semiconductor structure comprising Group III-V semiconductors and a top and a bottom electrode to the structure.

said structure comprising, in an ascending order from the bottom electrode, a substrate, a bottom confining region, an active region, a top confining region, and a contact layer,

a dielectric barrier layer on top of the contact layer has a window exposing a small area of the contact layer,

said top electrode being in contact with said dielectric barrier layer and, through said window, with the contact layer.

said top electrode is a reflector and said bottom electrode has a window for passage of light emission of the device, said top electrode sets up a standing optical wave for light emitted through said window, wherein

said active region comprises a plurality of quantum wells positioned relative to the top electrode so that the center of the active region occurs at a distance from the top electrode which is greater than λ

/2, wherein λ

is the emission wavelength of the semiconductor, said active region fits into an anti-node of an optical mode of the LED, and the center of the active region occurs at a position of at least a second anti-node of the standing optical wave.

11. The LED of claim 10, in which said plurality of quantum wells includes us to ten quantum wells.

12. The LED of claim 10, in which said plurality of quantum wells includes six quantum wells.

13. The LED of claim 10, in which said semiconductor structure is an Al_x Ga_1-x As/GaAs/In_y Ga_1-y As system, with x ranging from 0.1 to 0.4, and y ranging from 0.05 to 0.25.

14. The LED of claim 13, in which said active region comprises In_y Ga_1-y As quantum wells clad by GaAs.

15. The LED of claim 14, in which said x is equal to 0.2 and y is 0.16.

16. The LED of claim 10, in which said top electrode comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Ag, Au, AuBe, AuZn, Cr and Ti.