Light emitting device with dislocation bending structure

• US 8,633,468 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensor Electronic Technology Incorporated (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sensor Electronic Technology Incorporated (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gaska, Remigijus, Yang, Jinwei, Shur, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Valentine, Jami M
• Application Number:
  US13/370,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20120205619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 257/13, 438/20
• US Class Current: 257/13
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02458 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02507 Alternating layers, e.g. superlattice
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/025 Physical imperfections, e.g. particular concentration or distribution of impurities
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/04 with a quantum effect structure or superlattice, e.g. tunnel junction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/12 with a stress relaxation structure, e.g. buffer layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 2301/173 The laser chip comprising special buffer layers, e.g. dislocation prevention or reduction

Abstract

A solution for reducing a number of dislocations in an active region of an emitting device is provided. A dislocation bending structure can be included in the emitting device between the substrate and the active region. The dislocation bending structure can be configured to cause dislocations to bend and/or annihilate prior to reaching the active region, e.g., due to the presence of a sufficient amount of strain. The dislocation bending structure can include a plurality of layers with adjacent layers being composed of a material, but with molar fractions of an element in the respective material differing between the two layers. The dislocation bending structure can include at least forty pairs of adjacent layers having molar fractions of an element differing by at least five percent between the adjacent layers.

Claims

1. An emitting device comprising:

a substrate;

an active region located on a first side of the substrate; and

a dislocation bending structure located between the substrate and the active region, wherein the dislocation bending structure comprises at least forty pairs of adjacent layers, wherein each pair of adjacent layers includes;

a first layer composed of a material including an element; and

a second layer composed of a material including the element, wherein a molar fraction of the element differs for the first layer and the second layer by at least five percent.

2. The emitting device of claim 1, wherein each pair of adjacent layers in the dislocation bending structure comprises a total thickness between approximately ten nanometers and approximately one micron.

3. The emitting device of claim 2, wherein the total thicknesses for different pairs of adjacent layers vary by up to approximately fifty percent.

4. The emitting device of claim 1, further comprising an intermediate layer located between the substrate and the dislocation bending structure.

5. The emitting device of claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer comprises a nucleation layer.

6. The emitting device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first layer or the second layer of at least one pair of the adjacent layers comprises a short period superlattice.

7. The emitting device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first layer or the second layer of at least one pair of the adjacent layers comprises at least one of:

a graded composition or a graded doping.

8. The emitting device of claim 1, wherein the element comprises a group III element.

9. The emitting device of claim 8, wherein the material comprises a group III nitride-based material.

10. The emitting device of claim 1, wherein the active region includes a set of quantum wells interlaced with a set of barriers, and wherein at least one of the set of barriers has a graded molar fraction of a group III element.

22. The emitting device of claim 1, wherein differences between molar fractions of the element in adjacent layers of the dislocation bending structure alternate between a higher molar fraction of the element and a lower molar fraction of the element.

25. The emitting device of claim 1, wherein the material is aluminum gallium nitride and wherein the element is aluminum.

11. An emitting device comprising:

a substrate;

an active region located on a first side of the substrate; and

a dislocation bending structure located between the substrate and the active region, wherein the dislocation bending structure comprises a means for causing at least some dislocations propagating from the substrate to at least one of;

bend or annihilate, prior to reaching the active region, and wherein the means for causing includes a plurality of non-overlapping periods, wherein each period includes;

a first layer composed of a material including an element; and

a second layer composed of a material including the element, wherein a molar fraction of the element differs for the first layer and the second layer by at least five percent.

12. The emitting device of claim 11, wherein the means for causing includes a means for creating a strain sufficiently large to induce bending of the at least some dislocations.

13. The emitting device of claim 11, wherein the difference in the molar fractions is selected based on a target amount of strain.

14. The emitting device of claim 11, wherein the difference in the molar fractions is selected based on a thickness of at least one of the first layer or the second layer.

15. The emitting device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of layers includes at least forty periods, wherein each period includes at least two of the plurality of layers, and wherein the difference in the molar fractions between the at least two of the plurality of layers is at least five percent.

20. The emitting device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first layer or the second layer of at least one pair of the adjacent layers comprises a short period superlattice.

23. The emitting device of claim 11, wherein differences between molar fractions of the element in adjacent layers of the dislocation bending structure alternate between a higher molar fraction of the element and a lower molar fraction of the element.

26. The emitting device of claim 11, wherein the material is aluminum gallium nitride and wherein the element is aluminum.

16. A method of manufacturing an emitting device, the method comprising:

forming a dislocation bending structure on a first side of a substrate, wherein the dislocation bending structure comprises a means for causing at least some dislocations propagating from the substrate to at least one of;

bend or annihilate, prior to reaching the active region, wherein the forming the dislocation bending structure includes forming a plurality of non-overlapping periods, wherein each period includes;

a first layer composed of a material including an element; and

a second layer composed of a material including the element, wherein a molar fraction of the element differs for the first layer and the second layer by at least five percent; and

forming an active region on an opposing side of the dislocation bending structure as the substrate.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising designing the dislocation bending structure to create a strain sufficiently large to induce bending of the at least some dislocations.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting the difference in the molar fractions based on a target amount of strain.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting the difference in the molar fractions based on a thickness of at least one of the first layer or the second layer.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first layer or the second layer of at least one pair of the adjacent layers comprises a short period superlattice.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein differences between molar fractions of the element in adjacent layers of the dislocation bending structure alternate between a higher molar fraction of the element and a lower molar fraction of the element.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the material is aluminum gallium nitride and wherein the element is aluminum.