US20160118545A1 - Light emitting device with anti-total-internal-reflection capability - Google Patents
Light emitting device with anti-total-internal-reflection capability Download PDFInfo
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- US20160118545A1 US20160118545A1 US14/602,236 US201514602236A US2016118545A1 US 20160118545 A1 US20160118545 A1 US 20160118545A1 US 201514602236 A US201514602236 A US 201514602236A US 2016118545 A1 US2016118545 A1 US 2016118545A1
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- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 claims description 13
- 239000011247 coating layer Substances 0.000 claims description 11
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- PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Nickel Chemical compound [Ni] PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- KDLHZDBZIXYQEI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Palladium Chemical compound [Pd] KDLHZDBZIXYQEI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- AJNVQOSZGJRYEI-UHFFFAOYSA-N digallium;oxygen(2-) Chemical compound [O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[Ga+3].[Ga+3] AJNVQOSZGJRYEI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- 229910001195 gallium oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 6
- BASFCYQUMIYNBI-UHFFFAOYSA-N platinum Chemical compound [Pt] BASFCYQUMIYNBI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000002086 nanomaterial Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 claims description 5
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- 229910052738 indium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- APFVFJFRJDLVQX-UHFFFAOYSA-N indium atom Chemical compound [In] APFVFJFRJDLVQX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- AMGQUBHHOARCQH-UHFFFAOYSA-N indium;oxotin Chemical compound [In].[Sn]=O AMGQUBHHOARCQH-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims description 4
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- QCWXUUIWCKQGHC-UHFFFAOYSA-N Zirconium Chemical compound [Zr] QCWXUUIWCKQGHC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 3
- PCHJSUWPFVWCPO-UHFFFAOYSA-N gold Chemical compound [Au] PCHJSUWPFVWCPO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052737 gold Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000010931 gold Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052759 nickel Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052763 palladium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052697 platinum Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052719 titanium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000010936 titanium Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- YVTHLONGBIQYBO-UHFFFAOYSA-N zinc indium(3+) oxygen(2-) Chemical compound [O--].[Zn++].[In+3] YVTHLONGBIQYBO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052726 zirconium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- GYHNNYVSQQEPJS-UHFFFAOYSA-N Gallium Chemical compound [Ga] GYHNNYVSQQEPJS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- HMRQSZREPBVTLZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N [Ge]=O.[Zn] Chemical compound [Ge]=O.[Zn] HMRQSZREPBVTLZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910052733 gallium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910052732 germanium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- GNPVGFCGXDBREM-UHFFFAOYSA-N germanium atom Chemical compound [Ge] GNPVGFCGXDBREM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910003437 indium oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- NJWNEWQMQCGRDO-UHFFFAOYSA-N indium zinc Chemical compound [Zn].[In] NJWNEWQMQCGRDO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- PJXISJQVUVHSOJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N indium(iii) oxide Chemical compound [O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[In+3].[In+3] PJXISJQVUVHSOJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000001590 oxidative effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
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- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- XOLBLPGZBRYERU-UHFFFAOYSA-N tin dioxide Chemical compound O=[Sn]=O XOLBLPGZBRYERU-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910001887 tin oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000011787 zinc oxide Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 claims 2
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 230000000052 comparative effect Effects 0.000 description 11
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 10
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 description 7
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 4
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- GWEVSGVZZGPLCZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Titan oxide Chemical compound O=[Ti]=O GWEVSGVZZGPLCZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
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Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L33/00—Semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L33/44—Semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by the coatings, e.g. passivation layer or anti-reflective coating
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L33/00—Semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L33/005—Processes
- H01L33/0062—Processes for devices with an active region comprising only III-V compounds
- H01L33/0075—Processes for devices with an active region comprising only III-V compounds comprising nitride compounds
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L33/00—Semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L33/02—Semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by the semiconductor bodies
- H01L33/26—Materials of the light emitting region
- H01L33/30—Materials of the light emitting region containing only elements of group III and group V of the periodic system
- H01L33/32—Materials of the light emitting region containing only elements of group III and group V of the periodic system containing nitrogen
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L33/00—Semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
- H01L33/36—Semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof characterised by the electrodes
- H01L33/40—Materials therefor
- H01L33/42—Transparent materials
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L2933/00—Details relating to devices covered by the group H01L33/00 but not provided for in its subgroups
- H01L2933/0008—Processes
- H01L2933/0016—Processes relating to electrodes
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L2933/00—Details relating to devices covered by the group H01L33/00 but not provided for in its subgroups
- H01L2933/0008—Processes
- H01L2933/0025—Processes relating to coatings
Definitions
- This invention relates to a light emitting device with anti-total-internal-reflection (ATIF) capability, more particularly to a light emitting device including a total-internal-reflection suppression material dispersed in a transparent electrode layer.
- ATF anti-total-internal-reflection
- FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional light emitting device 1 that includes a sapphire substrate 11 , a light emitting layered structure 12 , a transparent electrode layer 13 , a first electrode contact 14 , a second electrode contact 15 , and a reflective layer 16 .
- the light emitting layered structure 12 includes a n-GaN layer 121 , an active layer 122 and a p-GaN layer 123 .
- the transparent electrode layer 13 may be made of indium tin oxide (ITO), and serves to permit uniform spread of an electric current in the light emitting layered structure 12 .
- ITO indium tin oxide
- the combination of the transparent electrode layer 13 and the p-GaN layer 123 results in generation of undesired total internal reflection at an interface therebetween, which results in a decrease in the light emitting efficiency.
- total internal reflection may also occur within the transparent electrode layer 13 , which further decreases the light emitting efficiency.
- U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0167085 discloses a light emitting device that includes a transparent substrate, a transparent electrode formed on the substrate, a light extraction layer formed on the transparent electrode, a light emitting layer formed on the light extraction layer and areas of the transparent electrode which are exposed from the light extraction layer, and a reflective electrode formed on the light emitting layer.
- the substrate may be formed of glass or plastic materials.
- the transparent electrode may be formed of a transparent metal oxide, such as indium tin oxide or indium zinc oxide.
- the light extraction layer serves to emit a light from the light emitting layer to the outside through the substrate, and may be made from a material having a similar refractive index to that of the substrate or a material having a refractive index greater than that of the light emitting layer.
- the light extraction layer may be formed of SiO 2 , TiO 2 , or a photoresist, and may include a plurality of scatters distributed in a transparent medium.
- the contact area between the light emitting layer and the transparent electrode is considerably reduced, which may result in a poor spreading of the electric current in the light emitting layer.
- the inclusion of the light extraction layer increases an overall layer thickness of the light emitting device.
- an object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting device that can overcome at least one of the aforesaid drawbacks associated with the prior art.
- a light emitting device with anti-total-internal-reflection capability includes: a light emitting layered structure; an electrode unit connected to the light emitting layered structure for providing electrical power to the light emitting layered structure, the electrode unit including a transparent electrode layer of a primary metal oxide which is stacked on the light emitting layered structure along a stacking direction; and a total-internal-reflection suppression material dispersed in the transparent electrode layer and containing a secondary metal oxide that is different from the primary metal oxide.
- the secondary metal oxide has a concentration gradient within the transparent electrode layer along the stacking direction.
- a method of making a light emitting device includes: preparing a light emitting layered structure; forming a particle layer, which contains metal nanoparticles of a first metal, on the light emitting layered structure; and simultaneously forming a transparent electrode layer of a primary metal oxide and at least partially oxidizing the first metal to form a secondary metal oxide, such that the secondary metal oxide is dispersed in the transparent electrode layer.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional light emitting device
- FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the embodiment of a light emitting device according to the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HR-TEM) image of an assembly of a second type semiconductor layer and a transparent electrode layer of the embodiment;
- HR-TEM High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope
- FIG. 4 is an amplified HR-TEM image of Region I shown in FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 5 is an amplified HR-TEM image of Region II shown in FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 6 is an amplified HR-TEM image of Region III shown in FIG. 3 ;
- FIGS. 7A to 7D are schematic views illustrating consecutive steps of a method of making the light emitting device according to the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a plot of photoluminescent (PL) relative intensity versus wavelength for an example of the light emitting device of the present invention and a comparative example of a conventional light emitting device;
- PL photoluminescent
- FIG. 9 is a plot of light output power versus working current for the example of the light emitting device of the present invention and the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device.
- FIG. 10 is a plot of electric current versus voltage for examples of the light emitting devices of the present invention and the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device.
- FIG. 2 in combination with FIGS. 3 to 6 , illustrates the embodiment of a light emitting device with anti-total-internal-reflection (ATIF) capability according to the present invention.
- ATF anti-total-internal-reflection
- the light emitting device includes: a substrate 2 ; a light emitting layered structure 3 ; an electrode unit 5 connected to the light emitting layered structure 3 for providing electrical power to the light emitting layered structure 3 , the electrode unit 5 including a transparent electrode layer 51 of a primary metal oxide 513 (see FIG. 4 ) which is stacked on the light emitting layered structure 3 along a stacking direction (X), the transparent electrode layer 51 having opposite first and second surfaces 511 , 512 ; and a total-internal-reflection (TIF) suppression material 4 dispersed in the transparent electrode layer 51 and containing a secondary metal oxide 41 that is different from the primary metal oxide 513 .
- TEZ total-internal-reflection
- the secondary metal oxide 41 has a concentration gradient within the transparent electrode layer 51 along the stacking direction (X).
- FIGS. 3 to 6 show that the concentration of the secondary metal oxide 41 may gradually increase inwardly from the first surface 511 (the concentration of the secondary metal oxide 41 is substantially zero at the first surface 511 ) and then gradually decrease toward the second surface 512 (the concentration of the secondary metal oxide 41 is substantially zero at the second surface 512 and the vicinity of the second surface 512 ).
- the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 may provide function(s), such as light scattering, in the transparent electrode layer 51 , and is capable of suppressing total-internal-reflection within the transparent electrode layer 51 and at an interface between the transparent electrode layer 51 and the light emitting layered structure 3 .
- the light emitting layered structure 3 includes a buffer layer 31 , first and second type semiconductor layers 32 , 35 , an active layer 33 disposed between the first and second type semiconductor layers 32 , 35 , and a current barrier layer 34 disposed between the active layer 33 and the second type semiconductor layer 35 .
- the transparent electrode layer 51 is formed on the second type semiconductor layer 35 .
- the substrate 2 may be made of sapphire.
- the first and second type semiconductor layers 32 , 35 may be made of n-type and p-type GaN, respectively.
- the active layer 33 may include a GaN-based multi-quantum well, such as InGaN/GaN.
- the current barrier 34 may be made of AlGaN.
- the electrode unit 5 further includes a first electrode contact 52 that is formed on the transparent electrode layer 51 , and a second electrode contact 53 that is formed on the first type semiconductor layer 32 .
- the primary metal oxide 513 may be selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, indium oxide, indium zinc oxide, gallium oxide, indium gallium oxide, indium zinc gallium oxide, zinc germanium oxide, and combinations thereof.
- the secondary metal oxide 41 may contain an oxide of a first metal that is selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, aluminum, platinum, titanium, zirconium, palladium, and nickel.
- the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 may further contain nano-structures 42 of the first metal and a bi-metal oxide 43 of the first metal and a second metal.
- the second metal may be selected from the group of indium, gallium, and germanium.
- the transparent electrode layer 51 has a layer thickness that is preferably greater than 50 nm and less than 250 nm.
- the first surface 511 is in contact with the second type semiconductor layer 35 of the light emitting layered structure 3 .
- the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 may have a depth (d) (see FIG. 2 ) from the first surface 511 toward the second surface 512 that is less than the layer thickness of the transparent electrode layer 51 .
- the depth (d) of the total-internal-reflection suppression material is preferably greater than 20 nm and less than 200 nm.
- the light emitting device of the present invention may be made by a method which includes the steps of: preparing the light emitting layered structure 3 which is formed on the substrate 2 ; forming a coating layer 6 , which contains a solvent 62 and metal nanoparticles 61 of a first metal dispersed in the solvent 62 , on the light emitting layered structure 3 using spin coating techniques (see FIG. 7A ); drying the coating layer 6 to form a particle layer 60 of the metal nanoparticles 61 on the light emitting layered structure 3 (see FIG.
- the first metal is silver
- the nano-structures thus formed include Ag 2 O phase (serving as the secondary metal oxide), AgInO 2 phase (serving as the bi-metal oxide), and Ag phase (unreacted first metal).
- the solvent 62 used in the coating layer 6 may be isopropanone.
- the concentration of the metal nanoparticles 61 in the coating layer 6 may range from 5 ppm to 50 ppm. The suppression of the total internal reflection is poor when the concentration of the metal nanoparticles 61 is less than 5 ppm, while the conductivity and the transparency of the transparent electrode layer 51 are considerably reduced when the concentration of the metal nanoparticles 61 is greater than 50 ppm.
- the concentration of the metal nanoparticles 61 in the coating layer 6 ranges from 5 ppm to 10 ppm.
- the metal nanoparticles 61 may have an average diameter greater than 20 nm and less than 100 nm.
- FIG. 8 is a plot of photoluminescence (PL) relative intensity versus wavelength for an example of the light emitting device of the present invention (with the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 in the transparent electrode layer 51 ) and a comparative example of a conventional light emitting device (which is similar to the example of the light emitting device of the present invention but without the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 in the transparent electrode layer 51 ).
- the results show that the example of the light emitting device of the present invention has a PL relative intensity higher than that of the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device over a wavelength from about 400 nm to about 500 nm.
- the concentration of the metal nanoparticles 61 in the coating layer 6 used in the method of making the aforesaid example of the light emitting device is about 10 ppm.
- FIG. 9 is a plot of light output power versus working current for the aforesaid example of the light emitting device of the present invention and the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device. The results show that the example of the light emitting device of the present invention has a light output power much higher than that of the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device over a working current from about 20 mA to about 450 mA.
- the light output power is increased by about 36% (from about 110 mW to 150 mW) for the aforesaid example of the light emitting device as compared to the comparative example when the working current is operated at about 400 mA, and is increased by about 44% (from about 90 mW to 130 mW) as compared to the comparative example when the working current is operated at about 300 mA.
- FIG. 10 is a plot of electric current versus voltage for examples of the light emitting devices of the present invention and the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device.
- the examples of the light emitting devices differ from one another in the concentration of the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 in the transparent electrode layer 51 , which depends on the concentration of the metal nanoparticles 61 in the coating layer 6 employed in the method of the present invention.
- the concentrations of the metal nanoparticles 61 in the coating layer 6 for forming the examples of the light emitting devices are respectively 1 ppm, 5 ppm, 10 ppm, and 20 ppm.
- the results show that the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device has a higher electric current under a fixed voltage than that of each of the examples of the light emitting device of the present invention, which indicates that the inclusion of the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 in the transparent electrode layer 51 increases the resistance or decreases the conductivity of the light emitting device.
- the results also show that although having a lower conductivity, the light emitting devices (particularly those from examples with the concentration of the metal nanoparticles 61 in the coating layer 6 not greater than 10 ppm) can still achieve a satisfactory and competitive conductivity under a fixed voltage as compared to the conventional light emitting device.
- the aforesaid drawback with respect to the generation of the total-internal-reflection in the light emitting device may be alleviated.
Abstract
Description
- This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 103136799, filed on Oct. 24, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
- This invention relates to a light emitting device with anti-total-internal-reflection (ATIF) capability, more particularly to a light emitting device including a total-internal-reflection suppression material dispersed in a transparent electrode layer.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional light emitting device 1 that includes asapphire substrate 11, a light emitting layeredstructure 12, atransparent electrode layer 13, afirst electrode contact 14, asecond electrode contact 15, and areflective layer 16. The light emittinglayered structure 12 includes a n-GaN layer 121, anactive layer 122 and a p-GaN layer 123. Thetransparent electrode layer 13 may be made of indium tin oxide (ITO), and serves to permit uniform spread of an electric current in the light emittinglayered structure 12. However, the combination of thetransparent electrode layer 13 and the p-GaN layer 123 results in generation of undesired total internal reflection at an interface therebetween, which results in a decrease in the light emitting efficiency. In addition, total internal reflection may also occur within thetransparent electrode layer 13, which further decreases the light emitting efficiency. - U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0167085 discloses a light emitting device that includes a transparent substrate, a transparent electrode formed on the substrate, a light extraction layer formed on the transparent electrode, a light emitting layer formed on the light extraction layer and areas of the transparent electrode which are exposed from the light extraction layer, and a reflective electrode formed on the light emitting layer. The substrate may be formed of glass or plastic materials. The transparent electrode may be formed of a transparent metal oxide, such as indium tin oxide or indium zinc oxide. The light extraction layer serves to emit a light from the light emitting layer to the outside through the substrate, and may be made from a material having a similar refractive index to that of the substrate or a material having a refractive index greater than that of the light emitting layer. For example, the light extraction layer may be formed of SiO2, TiO2, or a photoresist, and may include a plurality of scatters distributed in a transparent medium.
- Since a significant portion of the light emitting layer is covered by the light extraction layer, the contact area between the light emitting layer and the transparent electrode is considerably reduced, which may result in a poor spreading of the electric current in the light emitting layer. In addition, the inclusion of the light extraction layer increases an overall layer thickness of the light emitting device.
- Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting device that can overcome at least one of the aforesaid drawbacks associated with the prior art.
- According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a light emitting device with anti-total-internal-reflection capability. The light emitting device includes: a light emitting layered structure; an electrode unit connected to the light emitting layered structure for providing electrical power to the light emitting layered structure, the electrode unit including a transparent electrode layer of a primary metal oxide which is stacked on the light emitting layered structure along a stacking direction; and a total-internal-reflection suppression material dispersed in the transparent electrode layer and containing a secondary metal oxide that is different from the primary metal oxide. The secondary metal oxide has a concentration gradient within the transparent electrode layer along the stacking direction.
- According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a method of making a light emitting device. The method includes: preparing a light emitting layered structure; forming a particle layer, which contains metal nanoparticles of a first metal, on the light emitting layered structure; and simultaneously forming a transparent electrode layer of a primary metal oxide and at least partially oxidizing the first metal to form a secondary metal oxide, such that the secondary metal oxide is dispersed in the transparent electrode layer.
- In drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention,
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional light emitting device; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the embodiment of a light emitting device according to the present invention; -
FIG. 3 is a High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HR-TEM) image of an assembly of a second type semiconductor layer and a transparent electrode layer of the embodiment; -
FIG. 4 is an amplified HR-TEM image of Region I shown inFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 5 is an amplified HR-TEM image of Region II shown inFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 6 is an amplified HR-TEM image of Region III shown inFIG. 3 ; -
FIGS. 7A to 7D are schematic views illustrating consecutive steps of a method of making the light emitting device according to the present invention; -
FIG. 8 is a plot of photoluminescent (PL) relative intensity versus wavelength for an example of the light emitting device of the present invention and a comparative example of a conventional light emitting device; -
FIG. 9 is a plot of light output power versus working current for the example of the light emitting device of the present invention and the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device; and -
FIG. 10 is a plot of electric current versus voltage for examples of the light emitting devices of the present invention and the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device. -
FIG. 2 , in combination withFIGS. 3 to 6 , illustrates the embodiment of a light emitting device with anti-total-internal-reflection (ATIF) capability according to the present invention. - The light emitting device includes: a
substrate 2; a light emitting layered structure 3; anelectrode unit 5 connected to the light emitting layered structure 3 for providing electrical power to the light emitting layered structure 3, theelectrode unit 5 including atransparent electrode layer 51 of a primary metal oxide 513 (seeFIG. 4 ) which is stacked on the light emitting layered structure 3 along a stacking direction (X), thetransparent electrode layer 51 having opposite first andsecond surfaces suppression material 4 dispersed in thetransparent electrode layer 51 and containing asecondary metal oxide 41 that is different from theprimary metal oxide 513. Thesecondary metal oxide 41 has a concentration gradient within thetransparent electrode layer 51 along the stacking direction (X).FIGS. 3 to 6 show that the concentration of thesecondary metal oxide 41 may gradually increase inwardly from the first surface 511 (the concentration of thesecondary metal oxide 41 is substantially zero at the first surface 511) and then gradually decrease toward the second surface 512 (the concentration of thesecondary metal oxide 41 is substantially zero at thesecond surface 512 and the vicinity of the second surface 512). The total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 may provide function(s), such as light scattering, in thetransparent electrode layer 51, and is capable of suppressing total-internal-reflection within thetransparent electrode layer 51 and at an interface between thetransparent electrode layer 51 and the light emitting layered structure 3. - In this embodiment, the light emitting layered structure 3 includes a
buffer layer 31, first and secondtype semiconductor layers active layer 33 disposed between the first and secondtype semiconductor layers current barrier layer 34 disposed between theactive layer 33 and the secondtype semiconductor layer 35. Thetransparent electrode layer 51 is formed on the secondtype semiconductor layer 35. - The
substrate 2 may be made of sapphire. The first and secondtype semiconductor layers active layer 33 may include a GaN-based multi-quantum well, such as InGaN/GaN. Thecurrent barrier 34 may be made of AlGaN. - The
electrode unit 5 further includes afirst electrode contact 52 that is formed on thetransparent electrode layer 51, and asecond electrode contact 53 that is formed on the firsttype semiconductor layer 32. - The
primary metal oxide 513 may be selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, indium oxide, indium zinc oxide, gallium oxide, indium gallium oxide, indium zinc gallium oxide, zinc germanium oxide, and combinations thereof. - The
secondary metal oxide 41 may contain an oxide of a first metal that is selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, aluminum, platinum, titanium, zirconium, palladium, and nickel. - The total-internal-
reflection suppression material 4 may further contain nano-structures 42 of the first metal and abi-metal oxide 43 of the first metal and a second metal. The second metal may be selected from the group of indium, gallium, and germanium. - The
transparent electrode layer 51 has a layer thickness that is preferably greater than 50 nm and less than 250 nm. Thefirst surface 511 is in contact with the secondtype semiconductor layer 35 of the light emitting layered structure 3. The total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 may have a depth (d) (seeFIG. 2 ) from thefirst surface 511 toward thesecond surface 512 that is less than the layer thickness of thetransparent electrode layer 51. The depth (d) of the total-internal-reflection suppression material is preferably greater than 20 nm and less than 200 nm. - The light emitting device of the present invention may be made by a method which includes the steps of: preparing the light emitting layered structure 3 which is formed on the
substrate 2; forming acoating layer 6, which contains asolvent 62 andmetal nanoparticles 61 of a first metal dispersed in thesolvent 62, on the light emitting layered structure 3 using spin coating techniques (seeFIG. 7A ); drying thecoating layer 6 to form aparticle layer 60 of themetal nanoparticles 61 on the light emitting layered structure 3 (seeFIG. 7B ) ; subjecting an assembly of theparticle layer 60 and the light emitting layered structure 3 to an e-beam evaporation deposition process under the presence of oxygen to simultaneously form atransparent electrode layer 51 of aprimary metal oxide 513 on thesubstrate 2 and at least partially oxidize the first metal of themetal nanoparticles 61 to form nano-structures, such that the nano-structures thus formed are dispersed in the transparent electrode layer 51 (seeFIG. 7C ); subjecting thetransparent electrode layer 51 to an annealing process; and forming first andsecond electrode contacts transparent electrode layer 51 and the firsttype semiconductor layer 32, respectively (seeFIG. 7D ). In one embodiment, the first metal is silver, and the nano-structures thus formed include Ag2O phase (serving as the secondary metal oxide), AgInO2 phase (serving as the bi-metal oxide), and Ag phase (unreacted first metal). - The
solvent 62 used in thecoating layer 6 may be isopropanone. The concentration of themetal nanoparticles 61 in thecoating layer 6 may range from 5 ppm to 50 ppm. The suppression of the total internal reflection is poor when the concentration of themetal nanoparticles 61 is less than 5 ppm, while the conductivity and the transparency of thetransparent electrode layer 51 are considerably reduced when the concentration of themetal nanoparticles 61 is greater than 50 ppm. Preferably, the concentration of themetal nanoparticles 61 in thecoating layer 6 ranges from 5 ppm to 10 ppm. In addition, themetal nanoparticles 61 may have an average diameter greater than 20 nm and less than 100 nm. -
FIG. 8 is a plot of photoluminescence (PL) relative intensity versus wavelength for an example of the light emitting device of the present invention (with the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 in the transparent electrode layer 51) and a comparative example of a conventional light emitting device (which is similar to the example of the light emitting device of the present invention but without the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 in the transparent electrode layer 51). The results show that the example of the light emitting device of the present invention has a PL relative intensity higher than that of the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device over a wavelength from about 400 nm to about 500 nm. Note that the concentration of themetal nanoparticles 61 in thecoating layer 6 used in the method of making the aforesaid example of the light emitting device is about 10 ppm. -
FIG. 9 is a plot of light output power versus working current for the aforesaid example of the light emitting device of the present invention and the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device. The results show that the example of the light emitting device of the present invention has a light output power much higher than that of the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device over a working current from about 20 mA to about 450 mA. For instance, the light output power is increased by about 36% (from about 110 mW to 150 mW) for the aforesaid example of the light emitting device as compared to the comparative example when the working current is operated at about 400 mA, and is increased by about 44% (from about 90 mW to 130 mW) as compared to the comparative example when the working current is operated at about 300 mA. -
FIG. 10 is a plot of electric current versus voltage for examples of the light emitting devices of the present invention and the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device. The examples of the light emitting devices differ from one another in the concentration of the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 in thetransparent electrode layer 51, which depends on the concentration of themetal nanoparticles 61 in thecoating layer 6 employed in the method of the present invention. The concentrations of themetal nanoparticles 61 in thecoating layer 6 for forming the examples of the light emitting devices are respectively 1 ppm, 5 ppm, 10 ppm, and 20 ppm. The results show that the comparative example of the conventional light emitting device has a higher electric current under a fixed voltage than that of each of the examples of the light emitting device of the present invention, which indicates that the inclusion of the total-internal-reflection suppression material 4 in thetransparent electrode layer 51 increases the resistance or decreases the conductivity of the light emitting device. The results also show that although having a lower conductivity, the light emitting devices (particularly those from examples with the concentration of themetal nanoparticles 61 in thecoating layer 6 not greater than 10 ppm) can still achieve a satisfactory and competitive conductivity under a fixed voltage as compared to the conventional light emitting device. - With the inclusion of the total-internal-
reflection suppression material 4 in thetransparent electrode layer 51 of the light emitting device of the present invention, the aforesaid drawback with respect to the generation of the total-internal-reflection in the light emitting device may be alleviated. - While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation and equivalent arrangements.
Claims (16)
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EP3692580A4 (en) | 2017-10-06 | 2022-07-13 | Nanosys, Inc. | Light emitting diode containing oxidized metal contacts |
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US7507447B2 (en) | 2002-02-26 | 2009-03-24 | Fujifilm Corporation | Transparent conductive film, method for producing same and method for forming pattern |
KR100580634B1 (en) * | 2003-12-24 | 2006-05-16 | 삼성전자주식회사 | light emitting device and method of manufacturing thereof |
JP4254681B2 (en) | 2004-09-30 | 2009-04-15 | 豊田合成株式会社 | Electrode formation method |
TW200742117A (en) * | 2006-04-27 | 2007-11-01 | Genesis Photonics Inc | Light-emitting diode having forward light-guide structure and method manufacturing the same |
KR100993074B1 (en) * | 2009-12-29 | 2010-11-08 | 엘지이노텍 주식회사 | Light emitting device, method for fabricating the same and light emitting device package |
KR101134191B1 (en) * | 2010-04-26 | 2012-04-09 | 전북대학교산학협력단 | Surface Plasmon Resonance-based Light Emitting Diode Using Core-Shell Nanoparticles |
US8309185B2 (en) * | 2010-05-04 | 2012-11-13 | National Tsing Hua University | Nanoparticle film and forming method and application thereof |
US20130329272A1 (en) * | 2011-02-09 | 2013-12-12 | Nippon Steel & Sumikin Chemical Co., Ltd. | Metal fine-particle dispersed composite, method for fabricating the same, and substrate capable of inducing localized surface plasmon resonance |
TWI462334B (en) * | 2011-08-01 | 2014-11-21 | Lextar Electronics Corp | Light emitting diode structure and manufacture method thereof |
KR101283538B1 (en) * | 2011-11-07 | 2013-07-15 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Enhanced luminescence light emitting device using surface plasmon resonance |
KR101559194B1 (en) * | 2012-09-14 | 2015-10-12 | 한양대학교 산학협력단 | Surface plasmon resonance optical materials using conductive oxide nanoparticles, method for fabricating the same and optical devices comprising the same |
CN103840056A (en) * | 2012-11-22 | 2014-06-04 | 海洋王照明科技股份有限公司 | LED light source enhanced by fluorescence and surface plasmas |
KR101715843B1 (en) | 2012-12-14 | 2017-03-14 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Light emitting device having improved light extraction efficiency |
TWM474261U (en) * | 2013-06-07 | 2014-03-11 | Cheng-Sheng Zong | Composite three-dimensional surface plasma structure |
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