Light-emitting aluminum gallium indium nitride compound semiconductor device having an improved luminous intensity

US6265726A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD. · JP

Inventors

• Katsuhide Manabe · Ichinomiya, JP
• Hisaki Kato · Hamamatsu, JP
• Michinari Sassa · Miyoshi, JP
• Shiro Yamazaki · Fukushima, JP
• Makoto Asai · Kariya, JP
• Naoki Shibata · Osaka, JP
• Masayoshi Koike · Miyoshi, JP

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 24, 1999
• Grant date: Jul 24, 2001
• Expiry date: Aug 24, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10H20/8314

Abstract

A light-emitting semiconductor device (10) consecutively includes a sapphire substrate (1), an AlN buffer layer (2), a silicon (Si) doped GaN n.sup.+ -layer (3) of high carrier (n-type) concentration, a Si-doped (Al.sub.x3 Ga.sub.1-x3).sub.y3 In.sub.1-y3 N n.sup.+ -layer (4) of high carrier (n-type) concentration, a zinc (Zn) and Si-doped (Al.sub.x2 Ga.sub.1-x2).sub.y2 In.sub.1-y2 N emission layer (5), and a Mg-doped (Al.sub.x1 Ga.sub.1-x1).sub.y1 In.sub.1-y1 N p-layer (6). The AlN layer (2) has a 500 .ANG. thickness. The GaN n.sup.+ -layer (3) has about a 2.0 .mu.m thickness and a 2.times.10.sup.18 /cm.sup.3 electron concentration. The n.sup.+ -layer (4) has about a 2.0 .mu.m thickness and a 2.times.10.sup.18 /cm.sup.3 electron concentration. The emission layer (5) has about a 0.5 .mu.m thickness. The p-layer 6 has about a 1.0 .mu.m thickness and a 2.times.10.sup.17 /cm.sup.3 hole concentration. Nickel electrodes (7, 8) are connected to the p-layer (6) and n.sup.+ -layer (4), respectively. A groove (9) electrically insulates the electrodes (7, 8). The composition ratio of Al, Ga, and In in each of the layers (4, 5, 6) is selected to meet the lattice constant of GaN in the n.sup.+ …