Optoelectronic device and method for manufacturing the same

• US 8,519,430 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2011
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yale University
• Original Assignee: Epistar Corporation
• Inventors: Peng, Wei-Chih, Hsieh, Min-Hsun, Hsu, Ming-Chi, Yen, Wei-Yu, Wang, Chun-Kai, Chen, Yen-Chih, Hon, Schang-Jing, Wang, Hsin-Ying, Chung, Chien-Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, David
• Application Number:
  US13/225,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20120104455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 438/29, 438/46, 438/47, 257/98, 257/79, 257/103, 257/E33.068, 257/E33.008
• US Class Current: 257/103
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0543 comprising light concentrating means of the refractive type, e.g. lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0547 comprising light concentrating means of the reflecting type, e.g. parabolic mirrors, concentrators using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/075 the potential barriers being only of the PIN type, e.g. amorphous silicon PIN solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0066 with a substrate not being a III-V compound
• 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 33/22 Roughened surfaces, e.g. at the interface between epitaxial layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/305 characterised by the doping materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/46 Reflective coating, e.g. dielectric Bragg reflector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/548 Amorphous silicon PV cells

Abstract

An optoelectronic device includes a substrate and a first transition stack formed on the substrate including at least a first transition layer formed on the substrate and having at least one hollow component formed inside the first transition layer, and a second transition layer wherein the second transition layer is an unintentional doped layer or an undoped layer formed on the first transition layer.

Claims

1. An optoelectronic device comprising:

a substrate; and

a first transition stack formed on the substrate comprising at least a first transition layer formed on the substrate having at least a hollow component formed inside the first transition layer, and a second transition layer formed on the first transition layer wherein the second transition layer is an unintentional doped layer or an undoped layer.

2. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the width of the hollow component can be 10 nm˜

2000 nm.

3. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein a plurality hollow components is formed inside the first transition structure and at least two hollow components that can link into a mesh or porous structure;

or the plurality of the hollow components can be formed as a regular array and the average distance of any two of the hollow components can be 10 nm˜

2000 nm; and

the porosity of the hollow component can be 5-90%.

4. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, further comprising a first conductivity semiconductor layer, an active layer and a second conductivity semiconductor layer formed on the first transition stack wherein the material of the first conductivity semiconductor layer, the active layer, or the second conductivity semiconductor layer contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, In, As, P, and N.

5. The optoelectronic device of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of reflecting islands formed on partial of the first conductivity semiconductor layer and the second conductivity semiconductor layer wherein the reflecting island comprising at least one hollow component formed inside the reflecting island.

6. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the width of the hollow component closer to the substrate is larger than the width of the hollow component closer to the second transition layer.

7. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the first transition stack comprising a plurality of the first transition layers and each of the first transition layers comprising at least one hollow component with different width, and the width of the hollow component closer to the second transition layer is smaller than the width of the hollow component closer to the substrate.

8. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, further comprising a second transition stack formed on the first transition stack wherein the second transition stack comprising at least one first transition layer formed on the first transition stack having at least one hollow component formed inside the first transition layer, and a second transition layer formed on the first transition layer wherein the second transition layer is an unintentional doped layer or an undoped layer.

9. The optoelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the first transition layer is an n-type doping layer with the doping concentration of 1E15-1E19 cm⁻

3.

10. A method of fabricating an optoelectronic device, comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming a first transition layer on the substrate;

forming at least a hollow component inside the first transition layer; and

forming a second transition layer on the on the first transition layer wherein the second transition layer is an unintentional doped layer or an undoped layer.

11. The method of fabricating an optoelectronic device of claim 10, wherein the hollow component formed inside the first transition layer is formed by wet etching, electrochemical etching, or dry etching.

12. The method of fabricating an optoelectronic device of claim 10, wherein the width of the hollow component can be 10 nm-2000 nm.

13. The method of fabricating an optoelectronic device of claim 12, wherein the width of the hollow component closer to the second transition layer is smaller than the width of the hollow component closer to the substrate.

14. The method of fabricating an optoelectronic device of claim 12, wherein the transition stack comprising a plurality of the first transition layers and each of the first transition comprising at least one hollow components with different width, and the width of the hollow component closer to the second transition layer is smaller than the width of the hollow component closer to the substrate.

15. The method of fabricating an optoelectronic device of claim 10, wherein a plurality of the hollow components is formed inside the first transition stack and at least two hollow components that can link into a mesh or porous structure;

or the plurality of the hollow components can be formed as a regular array and the average distance any two of the hollow components can be 10 nm-2000 nm; and

the porosity of the hollow components can be 5-90%.

16. The method of fabricating an optoelectronic device of claim 10, further comprising a first conductivity semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductivity semiconductor layer formed on the first transition stack wherein the material of the first conductivity semiconductor layer, the active layer or the second conductivity semiconductor layer contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, In, As, P, and N.

17. The method of fabricating an optoelectronic device of claim 16, further comprising etching partial of the second conductivity semiconductor layer, the active layer, and the exposed part of the first conductivity semiconductor layer, and forming a plurality of reflecting islands on partial of the exposed first conductivity semiconductor layer and the second conductivity semiconductor layer wherein the reflecting island comprising at least one hollow component formed inside the reflecting island.

18. The method of fabricating an optoelectronic device of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of first transition layers of the first transition stack formed between the substrate and the second transition layer.

19. The method of fabricating an optoelectronic device of claim 10, further comprising a second transition stack formed on the first transition stack wherein the second transition stack comprising at least a first transition layer formed on the first transition stack having at least one hollow component formed inside the first transition layer, and a second transition layer formed on the first transition layer wherein the second transition layer is an unintentional doped layer or an undoped layer.

20. The method of fabricating an optoelectronic device of claim 10, wherein the first transition layer is an n-type doping layer with the doping concentration of 1E15-1E19 cm⁻

3.