Light emitting element, method of manufacturing the same, and light emitting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9455373-B2
Application number	US-201213655881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2012
Priority date	Oct 26, 2011
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

A light emitting element includes: a laminated body including a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductive semiconductor layer in this order, the second conductive semiconductor layer having a light extraction surface; and a recombination suppression structure provided in vicinity of an end surface of the active layer, the recombination suppression structure having a bandgap larger than a bandgap of the active layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light emitting element comprising:
a laminated body including a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductive semiconductor layer in this order, the second conductive semiconductor layer having a light extraction surface; and
a recombination suppression structure provided in vicinity of an end surface of the active layer, the recombination suppression structure having a bandgap larger than a bandgap of the active layer,
wherein,
an area of the active layer is equal to or smaller than about 2500 square micrometers.

2. The light emitting element according to claim 1 , wherein the recombination suppression structure is made of a component material that has a bandgap larger than a bandgap of a component material of the active layer, the recombination suppression structure being configured of a crystallized film that covers the end surface of the active layer from outside.

3. The light emitting element according to claim 2 , wherein the crystallized film covers an end surface of the laminated body as a whole.

4. The light emitting element according to claim 2 , wherein:
the active layer includes one or more elements of Al, In, Ga, P, and As, and the crystallized film includes one or more elements included in the active layer.

5. The light emitting element according to claim 2 , wherein:
the crystallized film includes Al 2 O 3 , and
the Al 2 O 3 is obtained by oxidizing a film including Al.

6. The light emitting element according to claim 5 , wherein the film including Al is an AlAs film.

7. The light emitting element according to claim 2 , wherein a film thickness of the crystallized film is equal to or smaller than about 100 nanometers.

8. The light emitting element according to claim 2 , wherein the crystallized film includes a plurality of films having different bandgap sizes.

9. The light emitting element according to claim 8 , wherein:
out of the plurality of films, a film most distant from the active layer includes Al 2 O 3 , and
the Al 2 O 3 is obtained by forming a film including Al and subsequently oxidizing the film including the Al.

10. The light emitting element according to claim 2 , comprising a diffusion section in an end portion of the active layer, the diffusion section including a material that expands the bandgap of the active layer.

11. The light emitting element according to claim 10 , wherein the material is zinc (Zn).

12. The light emitting element according to claim 1 , comprising an insulating section in an end portion of the laminated body.

13. The light emitting element according to claim 12 , comprising
a diffusion section provided between a first insulating section and a second insulating section, the diffusion section including a material that expands the bandgap of the active layer,
wherein,
the insulating section includes the first insulating section and the second insulating section, the first insulating section being located on an end portion of the first conductive semiconductor layer, the second insulating section being located on an end portion of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

14. The light emitting element according to claim 1 , wherein the recombination suppression structure is configured of a diffusion section, the diffusion section including a material that expands the bandgap of the active layer, the diffusion section being provided in an end portion of the active layer.

15. A light emitting device including a light emitting element, the light emitting element comprising:
a laminated body including a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductive semiconductor layer in this order, the second conductive semiconductor layer having a light extraction surface; and
a recombination suppression structure provided in vicinity of an end surface of the active layer, the recombination suppression structure having a bandgap larger than a bandgap of the active layer,
wherein
an area of the active layer is equal to or smaller than about 2500 square micrometers.

16. A light emitting element comprising:
a laminated body including a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductive semiconductor layer in this order, the second conductive semiconductor layer having a light extraction surface;
a recombination suppression structure provided in vicinity of an end surface of the active layer, the recombination suppression structure having a bandgap larger than a bandgap of the active layer;
an insulating section in an end portion of the laminated body; and
a diffusion section provided between a first insulating section and a second insulating section, the diffusion section including a material that expands the bandgap of the active layer,
wherein,
the insulating section includes the first insulating section and the second insulating section, the first insulating section being located on an end portion of the first conductive semiconductor layer, the second insulating section being located on an end portion of the second conductive semiconductor layer.

17. A light emitting element comprising:
a laminated body including a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductive semiconductor layer in this order, the second conductive semiconductor layer having a light extraction surface; and
a recombination suppression structure provided in vicinity of an end surface of the active layer, the recombination suppression structure having a bandgap larger than a bandgap of the active layer,
wherein,
the recombination suppression structure is configured of a diffusion section, the diffusion section including a material that expands the bandgap of the active layer, the diffusion section being provided in an end portion of the active layer.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Yokozeki Mikihiro
• Koyama Takahiro
• Narui Hironobu
• Aoyagi Hidekazu
• Shiomi Michinori
• Kawasaki Takahiko
• Itou Katsutoshi

Classifications

• H10H20/84

  Coatings, e.g. passivation layers or antireflective coatings · CPC title

• H10H20/81 Primary

  Bodies · CPC title

• H01L33/44

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L33/02 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic