Light-emitting assembly having a semiconductor layer sequence having an active zone on a columnar structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9531161-B2
Application number	US-201414785090-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2014
Priority date	Apr 26, 2013
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

An assembly has a columnar structure arranged with one end on a substrate, wherein the structure is at least partly covered with a semiconductor layer structure having an active zone that generates electromagnetic radiation, the active zone has a band gap for a radiative recombination, and the band gap decreases along a longitudinal axis of the structure in a direction of a free end of the structure such that a diffusion of charge carriers in the direction of the free end of the structure and a radiative recombination of charge carrier pairs in the region of the free end of the structure are supported.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An assembly comprising a columnar structure arranged with one end on a substrate, wherein 1) the structure is at least partly covered with a semiconductor layer structure having an active zone that generates electromagnetic radiation, 2) the active zone has a band gap for a radiative recombination, 3) the band gap decreases along a longitudinal axis of the structure in a direction of a free end of the structure such that a diffusion of charge carriers in the direction of the free end of the structure and a radiative recombination of charge carrier pairs in the region of the free end of the structure are supported, and 4) a material composition of a quantum well layer changes at least in one section in the direction of the free end of the structure such that the band gap decreases in the direction of the free end of the structure.

2. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the active zone covers at least 85% of the outer area of the columnar structure.

3. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of at least one quantum well layer of the active zone increases at least in one section in the direction of the free end of the structure.

4. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the band gap decreases continuously at least in one section in the direction of the free end.

5. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the active zone is arranged at least in two planes in a longitudinal direction of the structure, the two planes are arranged in a manner inclined with respect to one another, and the band gap decreases at least in one plane in the direction of the free end at least in one section.

6. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the band gap decreases continuously and/or discontinuously and/or in a stepwise manner at least in one plane in the direction of the free end.

7. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the active zone comprises an InGaN layer, and a concentration of indium increases continuously and/or in a stepwise manner at least in one section of a plane in the direction of the free end.

8. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the columnar structure has a crystal structure, an outer area of the structure undergoes transition from a first crystal plane into a second crystal plane in the direction of the free end of the structure, and the active zone is on the two crystal planes in two planes such that the band gap of the active zone decreases from the first plane to the second plane.

9. The assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the columnar structure is subdivided into three sections along a longitudinal direction, in a first section a diameter of the structure is substantially constant in the direction of the free end of the structure, in a subsequent second section a diameter of the structure decreases, a third section of the structure is adjacent to the second section, an end region of the active zone is arranged on a plane at the free end of the structure in the third section, and the plane is arranged substantially perpendicularly with respect to a longitudinal axis of the structure and in a punctiform fashion.

10. A method of producing the assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a columnar structure composed of an electrically conductive material composed of a semiconductor material is produced on a substrate, and a semiconductor layer structure having an active zone that generates electromagnetic radiation is formed at least on part of the structure such that a band gap of the active zone for a radiative recombination of charge carriers decreases along a longitudinal axis of the structure in the direction of a free end of the structure such that a diffusion of charge carriers in the direction of the free end of the structure and a radiative recombination of charge carrier pairs in the region of the free end of the structure are supported.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the active zone is deposited such that a thickness of at least one quantum well layer for a radiative recombination increases in the direction of the free end of the structure.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the active zone is deposited such that a material composition of the active zone changes along a longitudinal extent of the structure in the direction of the free end of the structure such that a resulting band gap decreases.

13. An array comprising a substrate and a plurality of assemblies, each assembly comprising a columnar structure arranged with one end on said substrate, wherein the structure is at least partly covered with a semiconductor layer structure having an active zone that generates electromagnetic radiation, wherein the active zone has a band gap for a radiative recombination, the band gap decreases along a longitudinal axis of the structure in a direction of a free end of the structure such that a diffusion of charge carriers in the direction of the free end of the structure and a radiative recombination of charge carrier pairs in the region of the free end of the structure are supported, and a higher density of assemblies is provided in at least one direction than in at least one second direction.

14. The array according to claim 13 , wherein at least two rows of assemblies are provided, and the rows are aligned parallel to one another.

15. The array according to claim 13 , wherein at least two regions of rows are provided, at least two rows of assemblies are arranged parallel in each region, the two regions are arranged parallel to one another, and the two regions are at a distance from one another perpendicularly in relation to alignment of the assemblies, which distance is greater than an average distance between two assemblies in a region.

16. The array according to claim 13 , wherein the active zones of the assemblies of the different regions have on average different band gaps and/or the assemblies of the regions are at different distances from one another.

17. The array according to claim 13 , wherein the array is an array of lasers.

18. An assembly comprising a columnar structure arranged with one end on a substrate, wherein 1) the structure is at least partly covered with a semiconductor layer structure having an active zone that generates electromagnetic radiation, 2) the active zone has a band gap for a radiative recombination, 3) the band gap decreases along a longitudinal axis of the structure in a direction of a free end of the structure such that a diffusion of charge carriers in the direction of the free end of the structure and a radiative recombination of charge carrier pairs in the region of the free end of the structure are supported, 4) an insulation layer is provided in a free end region of the structure on the active zone, and an electrical contact for electrical biasing is provided on the insulation layer, and 5) the electrical contact is electrically isolated from the active zone by the insulation layer.

Assignees

• Osram Opto Semiconductors Gmbh

Inventors

• Ristic Jelena
• Straβburg Martin
• Mandl Martin
• Lell Alfred

Classifications

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H01S5/405

  Two-dimensional arrays · CPC title

• H01S5/183

  having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL] · CPC title

• H01S5/42

  Arrays of surface emitting lasers · CPC title

• H01S5/4025

  Array arrangements, e.g. constituted by discrete laser diodes or laser bar (H01S5/42 takes precedence) · CPC title