Layered semiconductor structure for lateral current spreading, and light emitting diode including such a current spreading structure
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United States of America Patent
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Apr 24, 2001
Grant Date -
N/A
app pub date -
Sep 16, 1998
filing date -
Sep 20, 1997
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Expired
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Abstract
In order to achieve lateral current spreading between a current injecting or current collecting surface of an electrode and an active surface of an active region in a semiconductor device such as a light emitting diode, a layered semiconductor heterostructure is arranged between the electrode and the active surface. The heterostructure includes at least two semiconductor layers forming a heterojunction therebetween, whereby the semiconductor layers are composed of different semiconductor materials or different compositional proportions of the same compound semiconductor. An enrichment region for the majority charge carriers is formed in one of the layers adjacent the heterojunction, and a majority charge carrier energy band discontinuity exists at the heterojunction. Each enrichment region provides a strong lateral current spreading effect, such that a stacked arrangement of plural heterojunction layer pairs brings about a strong step-wise lateral current spreading. The light output and efficiency of a light emitting diode is substantially improved by incorporating such a current spreading heterostructure.
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