Light emitting devices

• US 7,459,845 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2005
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Luminus Devices Incorporated (Sanan Optoelectronics Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Luminus Devices Incorporated (Sanan Optoelectronics Company Limited)
• Inventors: Erchak, Alexei A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, JOSEPH L
• Application Number:
  US11/052,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20050145877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 313/498, 313/499, 313/506
• US Class Current: 313/498
• 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 33/0093 Wafer bonding; Removal of the growth substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/20 with a particular shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrate

Abstract

Light-emitting devices, and related components, systems and methods are disclosed. A light-emitting device can include a multi-layer stack of materials including a light-generating region and a first layer supported by the light-generating region. During use of the light-emitting device, light generated by the light-generating region can emerge from the light-emitting device via a surface of the first layer. The light-emitting device can have an edge which is at least about one millimeter long and can be designed so that a wall plug efficiency of the light-emitting device is substantially independent of the length of the edge.

Claims

1. A light-emitting device, comprising:

a multi-layer stack of materials including a light-generating region and a first layer supported by the light-generating region so that, during use of the light-emitting device, light generated by the light-generating region can emerge from the light-emitting device via a surface of the first layer,

wherein the light-emitting device has an edge which is at least about one millimeter long, and the light-emitting device is designed so that a wall plug efficiency of the light-emitting device is substantially independent of the length of the edge; and

wherein the surface of the first layer has a dielectric function that varies spatially according to a pattern with an ideal lattice constant and a detuning parameter with a value greater than zero.

2. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the surface of the first layer has features with a size of less than about λ

/5, where λ

is a wavelength of light that can be generated by the light-generating region and that can emerge from the light-emitting device via the surface of the first layer.

3. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the length of the edge is at least about 1.5 millimeters.

4. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the length of the edge is at least about two millimeters.

5. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the length of the edge is at least about 2.5 millimeters.

6. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the length of the edge is at least about three millimeters.

7. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting device includes at least one additional edge having a length of at least about one millimeter.

8. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein at least about 90% of the total amount of light generated by the light-generating region that emerges from the light-emitting device emerges from the light-emitting device via the surface of the first layer.

9. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein at least about 95% of the total amount of light generated by the light-generating region that emerges from the light-emitting device emerges from the light-emitting device via the surface of the first layer.

10. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the multi-layer stack of materials comprises a multi-layer stack of semiconductor materials.

11. The light-emitting device of claim 10, wherein the first layer comprises a layer of n-doped semiconductor material, and the multi-layer stack further includes a layer of p-doped semiconductor material.

12. The light-emitting device of claim 11, wherein the light-generating region is between the layer of n-doped semiconductor material and the layer of p-doped semiconductor material.

13. The light-emitting device of claim 1, further comprising a support that supports the multi-layer stack of materials.

14. The light-emitting device of claim 13, further comprising a layer of reflective material that is capable of reflecting at least about 50% of light generated by the light-generating region that impinges on the layer of reflective material, the layer of reflective material being between the support and the multi-layer stack of materials.

15. The light-emitting device of claim 14, wherein the first layer comprises a layer of an n-doped material, the multi-layer stack of materials further includes a layer of p-doped material, and a distance between the layer of p-doped semiconductor material and the layer of reflective material is less than a distance between the layer of n-doped semiconductor material and the layer of reflective material.

16. The light-emitting device of claim 15, further comprising a p-ohmic contact layer between the layer of p-doped material and the layer of reflective material.

17. The light-emitting device of claim 1, further including a current-spreading layer between the first layer and the light-generating region.

18. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the multi-layer stack of materials comprise semiconductor materials.

19. The light-emitting device of claim 18, wherein the semiconductor materials are selected from the group consisting of III-V semiconductor materials, organic semiconductor materials and silicon.

20. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the pattern does not extend into the light-generating region.

21. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the pattern does not extend beyond the first layer.

22. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the pattern extends beyond the first layer.

23. The light-emitting device of claim 1, further comprising electrical contacts configured to inject current into the light-emitting device.

24. The light-emitting device of claim 23, wherein the electrical contacts are configured to vertically inject electrical current into the light-emitting device.

25. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting device is selected from the group consisting of light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical amplifiers, and combinations thereof.

26. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting device comprises a light emitting diode.

27. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting device is selected from the group consisting of OLEDs, flat surface-emitting LEDs, HBLEDs, and combinations thereof.

28. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting device is in the form of a packaged light-emitting device.

29. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting device is in the form of a packaged die.

33. The light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the pattern comprises a plurality of holes.

30. A light-emitting device, comprising:

a multi-layer stack of materials including a light-generating region and a first layer supported by the light-generating region so that, during use of the light-emitting device, light generated by the light-generating region can emerge from the light-emitting device via a surface of the first layer,

wherein the light-emitting device has an edge which is at least about one millimeter long, and the light-emitting device is designed so that a wall plug efficiency of the light-emitting device is substantially independent of the length of the edge;

wherein the first layer comprises a semiconductor material and the surface of the first layer has a dielectric function that varies spatially according to a nonperiodic pattern comprising a plurality of non-concentric holes, a majority of the non-periodic pattern having order; and

wherein the light emerging from the light-emitting device via the surface of the first layer is substantially incoherent.

31. The light emitting device of claim 30, wherein the nonperiodic pattern comprises a pattern selected from the group consisting of aperiodic patterns, Robinson patterns, and Amman patterns.

32. The light emitting device of claim 30, wherein the nonperiodic pattern comprises a quasicrystalline pattern.

34. The light-emitting device of claim 30, wherein the holes have a cross-sectional dimension of less than 190 nanometers.

35. The light-emitting device of claim 30, wherein the length of the edge is at least about three millimeters.

36. The light-emitting device of claim 30, wherein at least about 90% of the total amount of light generated by the light-generating region that emerges from the light-emitting device emerges from the light-emitting device via the surface of the first layer.

37. The light-emitting device of claim 30, wherein the multi-layer stack of materials comprises a multi-layer stack of semiconductor materials.

38. The light-emitting device of claim 30, wherein the first layer comprises a layer of n-doped semiconductor material, and the multi-layer stack further includes a layer of p-doped semiconductor material, and the light-generating region comprises a semiconductor material.

39. The light-emitting device of claim 30, wherein the pattern does not extend into the light-generating region.

40. The light-emitting device of claim 30, wherein the light-emitting device comprises a light-emitting diode.

41. The light-emitting device of claim 30, wherein the pattern is configured so that light emerging from the light-emitting device via the first surface is more collimated than a lambertian distribution of light.

42. The light-emitting device of claim 30, wherein a majority of the holes have substantially the same size.

43. The light-emitting device of claim 30, wherein a majority of the nearest neighbor distances between holes is substantially the same.