Patent · US Expired

Light emitting diode with surface emission

US4570172A · kind A · utility

33Cited by
4References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 19, 1983
Grant dateFeb 11, 1986
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 19, 2003

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10H20/813

Abstract

A light emitting diode (LED) is provided which has light emission taking place through the surface of a window layer and which consist of at least one active layer between a substrate and a window layer. Under biassing, the active layer emits isotropic radiation of wave length .lambda.. The LED of the invention comprises a re-emitting layer which absorbs the part of the radiation which is emitted in the direction of the substrate and re-emits it isotropically with a wave length very close to that of the active layer. For that, the re-emitting layer is made from a material whose prohibited band height is very close to but less than that of the active layer. If the substrate is transparent, it may be situated between the emitting layer and the re-emitting layer.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.