Semiconductor light emitting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9324916-B2
Application number	US-201514869519-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2012
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor light emitting device includes an electrode layer, a first semiconductor layer, a first elongated electrode, a second semiconductor layer, and a light emitting layer. The first semiconductor layer includes a crystal having a cleavage plane. The first semiconductor layer includes a first thin film portion and a thick film portion. The first thin film portion extends in a first direction perpendicular to a stacking direction from the electrode layer toward the first semiconductor layer. The first thin film portion has a first thickness. The thick film portion is arranged with the first thin film portion in a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction. An angle between the first direction and the cleavage plane is not less than 3 degrees and not more than 27 degrees. The first elongated electrode extends in the first direction in contact with the first thin film portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:
a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type including a crystal having a cleavage plane, the first semiconductor layer including:
a first portion,
a second portion arranged with the first portion in a second direction, and
a third portion provided between the first portion and the second portion,
the first portion having a first thickness in a third direction perpendicular to the second direction, the second portion having a second thickness in the third direction, the third portion having a third thickness in the third direction, the third thickness being thicker than the first thickness and thicker than the second thickness, and
an angle between a first direction and the cleavage plane being not less than 3 degrees and not more than 27 degrees, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction and third direction;

a first electrode including a first part and a second part, the first part being in contact with the first portion, the second part being in contact with the second portion;
a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type provided; and
a light emitting layer provided between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the crystal is a wurtzite-type crystal having an m-plane, and an angle between the first direction and an intersection line where the m-plane intersects the plane perpendicular to the third direction is not less than 3 degrees and not more than 27 degrees.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein an absolute value of an angle between the third direction and a c-axis of the wurtzite-type crystal is not more than 3 degrees.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first semiconductor layer is a wurtzite-type crystal, at least one selected from a (0001) plane and a (000-1) plane of the wurtzite-type crystal is perpendicular to the third direction, and an angle between the first direction and a [11-20] direction of the wurtzite-type crystal when projected onto the plane perpendicular to the third direction is not less than 3 degrees and not more than 27 degrees.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first semiconductor layer is a wurtzite-type crystal, a (10-10) plane of the wurtzite-type crystal intersects the third direction, and an angle between the first direction and a [0001] direction of the wurtzite-type crystal when projected onto the plane perpendicular to the third direction is not less than 3 degrees and not more than 27 degrees.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first semiconductor layer is a wurtzite-type crystal, a (11-20) plane of the wurtzite-type crystal intersects the third direction, and an angle between the first direction and a [0001] direction of the wurtzite-type crystal when projected onto the plane perpendicular to the third direction is not less than 3 degrees and not more than 27 degrees.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first semiconductor layer includes a nitride semiconductor, the second semiconductor layer includes a nitride semiconductor, the light emitting layer includes a nitride semiconductor, a crystal orientation of the light emitting layer is the same as a crystal orientation of the first semiconductor layer, and a crystal orientation of the second semiconductor layer is the same as the crystal orientation of the first semiconductor layer.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein an absolute value of the difference between the first thickness and the third thickness is not less than 5% of the third thickness and not more than 95% of the third thickness.

9. A semiconductor light emitting device, comprising:
a first semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type including a crystal having a cleavage plane, the first semiconductor layer including:
a first portion,
a second portion arranged with the first portion in a second direction, and
a third portion provided between the first portion and the second portion,
the first portion having a first thickness in a third direction perpendicular to the second direction, the second portion having a second thickness in the third direction, the third portion having a third thickness in the third direction, the third thickness being thicker than the first thickness and thicker than the second thickness;

a first electrode including a first part and a second part, the first part being in contact with the first portion, the second part being in contact with the second portion;
a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type; and
a light emitting layer provided between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer, the crystal being a wurtzite-type crystal, at least one selected from an angle between the third direction and a (10-10) plane of the wurtzite-type crystal and an angle between the third direction and a (11-20) plane of the wurtzite-type crystal being not less than 88 degrees and not more than 92 degrees, and
an angle between the first direction and a [0001] direction of the wurtzite-type crystal when projected onto the plane perpendicular to the third direction being not less than 3 degrees and not more than 87 degrees.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Tajima Jumpei
• Zaima Kotaro
• Hikosaka Toshiki
• Ono Hiroshi
• Sugiyama Naoharu
• Nunoue Shinya

Classifications

• H10P90/14

  by setting crystal orientation · CPC title

• H10P14/3466

  Crystal orientation · CPC title

• H10P14/3258

  Crystal orientation · CPC title

• H10D62/40

  Crystalline structures · CPC title

• H10H20/825

  containing nitrogen, e.g. GaN · CPC title