Light emitting device and method of fabricating the same

• US 9,799,800 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2015
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seoul Viosys Co., Ltd. (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Seoul Viosys Co., Ltd. (Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jang, Sam Seok, Kwak, Woo Chul, Kim, Kyung Hae, Jung, Jung Whan, Baek, Yong Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lebentritt, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Klein, Jordan
• Application Number:
  US14/830,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20160056334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/007 comprising nitride compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0075 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 33/14 with a carrier transport control structure, e.g. highly-doped semiconductor layer or current-blocking structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/145 with a current-blocking structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/325 characterised by the doping materials

Abstract

A light emitting device is provided to include an n-type semiconductor layer, a p-type semiconductor layer, an active layer, and an electron blocking layer disposed between the p-type semiconductor layer and the active layer. The p-type semiconductor layer includes a hole injection layer, a p-type contact layer, and a hole transport layer. The hole transport layer includes a plurality of undoped layers and at least one intermediate doped layer disposed between the undoped layers. At least one of the undoped layers includes a zone in which hole concentration decreases with increasing distance from the hole injection layer or the p-type contact layer, and the intermediate doped layer is disposed to be at least partially overlapped with a region of the hole transport layer, the region having the hole concentration of 62% to 87% of the hole concentration of the p-type contact layer.

Claims

1. A light emitting device, comprising:

an n-type semiconductor layer;

a p-type semiconductor layer;

an active layer disposed between the n-type semiconductor layer and the p-type semiconductor layer; and

an electron blocking layer disposed between the p-type semiconductor layer and the active layer,

wherein;

the p-type semiconductor layer includes a hole injection layer, a p-type contact layer, and a hole transport layer disposed between the hole injection layer and the p-type contact layer, and

the hole transport layer includes first and second low-doped layers and at least one intermediate doped layer disposed between the first and second low-doped layers, wherein the first low-doped layer adjoins the p-type contact layer and wherein dopant concentrations of the first and second low-doped layers are less than a dopant concentration of the at least one intermediate doped layer, wherein the dopant concentration of the first low-doped layer decreases with increasing distance from the intermediate doped layer and then increases with decreasing distance to the p-type contact layer.

2. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the hole injection layer has a dopant concentration from 1×

10²⁰/cm³ to 5×

10²⁰/cm³, the p-type contact layer has a dopant concentration of 4×

10²⁰/cm³ or more, and the intermediate doped layer has a dopant concentration from 1×

10¹⁸/cm³ to 1×

10²⁰/cm³.

3. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the hole transport layer has a greater thickness than a total thickness of the hole injection layer and the p-type contact layer.

4. The light emitting device of claim 3, wherein the intermediate doped layer has a thickness from 10 nm to 20 nm, and the low-doped layers have a thickness from 15 nm to 30 nm.

5. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the hole injection layer adjoins the electron blocking layer.

6. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the first low-doped layer includes a zone in which a hole concentration decreases with increasing distance from the hole injection layer.

7. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the first low-doped layer further includes a zone in which a hole concentration increases with decreasing distance to the intermediate doped layer.

8. The light emitting device of claim 7, wherein the zone in which the hole concentration increases with decreasing distance to the intermediate doped layer includes a region in which the hole concentration linearly increases.

9. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the intermediate doped layer has higher electrical resistance than the low-doped layers.

10. A method of fabricating a light emitting device, including:

growing an n-type semiconductor layer, an active layer, an electron blocking layer, and a p-type semiconductor layer on a substrate within a chamber,

wherein the growing the p-type semiconductor layer includes;

growing a hole injection layer on the substrate within the chamber by introducing an N source gas, a Ga source gas, an Mg source gas, N2 gas, and H2 gas into the chamber;

growing an undoped layer on the hole injection layer by introducing an N source gas, a Ga source gas and N2 gas into the chamber while blocking introducing of the Mg source gas and H2 gas;

growing an intermediate doped layer on the undoped layer by introducing an N source gas, a Ga source gas, N2 gas and an Mg source gas into the chamber;

growing an undoped layer on the intermediate doped layer by introducing an N source gas, a Ga source gas, and N2 gas into the chamber while blocking introducing of the Mg source gas; and

growing a p-type contact layer on the undoped layers by introducing an N source gas, a Ga source gas, an Mg source gas, N2 gas and H2 gas into the chamber.

11. The method of claim 10, further including:

introducing an N source gas and N2 gas into the chamber while blocking introducing of a Ga source gas, an Mg source gas and H2 gas to change an atmosphere of the chamber into a nitrogen and NH3 atmosphere, before the growing the hole injection layer.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the hole injection layer has a dopant concentration from 1×

1020/cm3 to 5×

1020/cm3, the p-type contact layer has a dopant concentration of 4×

1020/cm3 or more, and the intermediate doped layer has a dopant concentration of from 1×

1018/cm3 to 1×

1020/cm3.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the growing of the n-type semiconductor layer, the active layer, the electron blocking layer, and the p-type semiconductor layer includes performing a metal organic chemical vapor deposition.

14. A light emitting device, comprising:

a substrate;

an n-type semiconductor layer formed over the substrate;

an active layer formed over the n-type semiconductor layer;

a p-type semiconductor layer formed over the active layer, wherein the p-type semiconductor layer includes first and second low-doped layers and a doped layer disposed between the low-doped layers and the second low-doped layers include a hole concentration decreasing with increasing distance from the active layer and then increasing with decreasing distance to the doped layer; and

a p-type contact layer formed over the doped layer, and

wherein the first low-doped layer adjoins the p-type contact layer and has a dopant concentration less than that of the doped layer.

15. The light emitting device of claim 14, wherein the p-type semiconductor layer further comprises:

a hole injection layer formed under the doped layer.

16. The light emitting device of claim 15, wherein the doped layer is arranged apart from the p-type contact layer such that the doped layer includes a region with a hole concentration of 62% to 87% of that of the p-type contact layer.

17. The light emitting device of claim 15, wherein the sum of the thicknesses of the first and second low-doped layers and the doped layer is greater than the sum of the thickness of the hole injection layer and the p-type contact layer.

18. The light emitting device of claim 15, further comprising an electron blocking layer disposed between the active layer and the hole injection layer such that the hole injection layer adjoins the electron blocking layer.

19. The light emitting device of claim 14, wherein the first low-doped layer includes a zone in which a hole concentration increases with decreasing distance to the doped layer.

20. The light emitting device of claim 19, wherein the zone in which the hole concentration increases with decreasing distance to the doped layer includes a region in which the hole concentration linearly increases.