This application claims the priority benefit of China application serial no. 202310176103.2, filed on Feb. 28, 2023. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
The disclosure relates to a light emitting diode and belongs to the technical field of semiconductor optoelectronic devices.
With advantages such as high luminous intensity, high efficiency, small size, and long service life, light emitting diodes (LEDs) are considered to be one of the most promising light sources at present. In recent years, LEDs have been widely used in daily life, such as lighting, signal display, backlight, car lights, and large-screen display. These applications in turn have put forward higher requirements on the brightness, luminous efficiency, and reliability of LEDs.
For horizontally structured LEDs, the design of the wiring electrodes is an important structure that affects the optical and electrical properties of LEDs. The main factors that affect the wiring reliability are: (1) the surface flatness of the wiring electrodes; and (2) the effective dispersion of the impact force applied on the electrodes during the wire process. The factors that affect the light extraction efficiency mainly include: (1) the shielding used for packaging the wiring electrodes; (2) reflection at the interfaces of materials with different refractive indexes during the light output process; and (3) the absorption of light by various materials during the light output process.
In order to solve the above problems found in LEDs, a solution that can effectively improve both the wiring reliability and the light emission efficiency of LEDs is required to be provided.
In order to solve the above problems and improve the reliability and luminous efficiency of the light emitting diodes, the disclosure provides a light emitting diode. The light emitting diode includes a semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer, a first contact electrode, a second contact electrode, a first wiring electrode, and a second wiring electrode. The semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer at least includes a first conductive type semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductive type semiconductor layer stacked in sequence. The semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer is formed with a first mesa, and the first mesa exposes the first conductive type semiconductor layer. The first contact electrode is located on the first mesa and is electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer. The second contact electrode is located on the second conductive type semiconductor layer and is electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer. The first wiring electrode and the second wiring electrode are located on the first contact electrode and the second contact electrode. Herein, horizontal projections of the first wiring electrode and the second wiring electrode on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer fall within horizontal projections of the first contact electrode and the second contact electrode on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer.
The disclosure further provides a light emitting device including the abovementioned light emitting diode.
In the light emitting diode provided by the disclosure, by arranging the wiring electrodes on the contact electrodes and arranging the projections of the wiring electrodes on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer in the horizontal direction to fall within the horizontal projections of the contact electrodes, the wiring electrodes are ensured to be in good contact with the contact electrodes. Further, the areas of the contact electrodes are greater than the areas of the wiring electrodes, and since the force-bearing areas become larger during the wiring process, the impact force of wiring may be effectively dispersed, so the reliability of the light emitting diode is improved.
To make the aforementioned more comprehensible, several embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in detail as follows.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
With reference to
The light emitting diode chip may be a light emitting diode chip of a conventional size. The light emitting diode chip may have a horizontal cross-sectional area of approximately 90,000 μm2 or greater and approximately 2,000,000 μm2 or less.
The light emitting diode chip may also be a small-sized or micro-sized light emitting diode chip. The light emitting diode chip may have a horizontal cross-sectional area of approximately 90,000 μm2 or less. For instance, the light emitting diode chip may have a length and/or width of 100 μm or greater and 300 μm or less, and further may have a thickness of 40 μm or greater and 100 μm or less.
The light emitting diode chip may also be a micro light emitting diode chip of a smaller size. The light emitting diode chip may have a horizontal cross-sectional area of approximately 10,000 μm2 or less. For instance, the light emitting diode chip may have a length and/or width of 2 μm or greater and 100 μm or less, and further may have a thickness of 2 μm or greater and 100 μm or less. The light emitting diode chip of this embodiment may have the abovementioned horizontal cross-sectional area and thickness, so the light emitting diode chip may be easily applied to various electronic devices requiring small and/or micro light emitting devices.
With reference to
The semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer includes the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102, the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104, and the active layer 103 located between the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104. The semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer has a first mesa S1, and the first mesa S1 exposes the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102.
The first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 have different conductivity types, electrical properties, or polarities, or are doped with elements to provide electrons or holes. That is, the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 has a first conductivity, the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 has a second conductivity, and the first conductivity and the second conductivity are different. For instance, the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 may be a p-type semiconductor layer, and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 may be an n-type semiconductor layer, and vice versa. Driven by an externally applied current, electrons from the n-type semiconductor layer and holes from the p-type semiconductor layer convert electrical energy into light energy in the active layer 103 and emit light.
In this embodiment, a material of the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer is a gallium arsenide (GaAs) series material. The doping of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 is p-type, and the doping of the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 is n-type.
In other embodiments disclosed by the disclosure, a material of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 includes a II-VI group material (e.g., zinc selenide (ZnSe)) or a III-V nitrogen group compound material (e.g., gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), aluminum nitride (AlN), indium nitride (InN), indium gallium nitride (InGaN), aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN), or aluminum indium gallium nitride (AlInGaN)). Further, the material of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 may also include dopants such as magnesium (Mg) and carbon (C), but the embodiments of the disclosure are not limited thereto. In some other embodiments, the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 may also be a single-layer or multi-layer structure.
In other embodiments disclosed by the disclosure, a material of the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 includes a III-V nitrogen group compound material (for example, gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), aluminum nitride (AlN), indium nitride (InN), indium gallium nitride (InGaN), aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN), or aluminum indium gallium nitride (AlInGaN)). Further, the material of the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 may include dopants such as silicon (Si) or germanium (Ge), but the embodiments of the disclosure are not limited thereto. In some other embodiments, the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 may also be a single-layer or multi-layer structure.
In this embodiment, the active layer 103 uses a gallium arsenide (GaAs) series semiconductor material. To be specific, when being based on aluminum indium gallium phosphide (AlGaInP) series and gallium arsenide (GaAs) series semiconductor materials, the active layer 103 may emit red light, orange light, or yellow light. When being based on an aluminum gallium indium nitride (AlGaInN) series semiconductor material, the active layer 103 may emit blue light or green light. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the active layer 103 may include at least one un-doped semiconductor layer or at least one low-doped layer. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the active layer 103 may be a single heterostructure (SH), a double heterostructure (DH), a double-sided double heterostructure (DDH), or a multi-quantum well structure (MQW), but the embodiments of the disclosure are not limited thereto.
With reference to
It should be noted that the light emitting diode chip of the disclosure is not limited to including only one semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer, but may also include multiple semiconductor epitaxial stacked layers located on the substrate 100. A wire structure may be provided between the plurality of semiconductor epitaxial stacked layers, so that the plurality of semiconductor epitaxial stacked layers are electrically connected to each other in series, in parallel, in series-parallel, etc. on the substrate 100.
A material of the bonding layer 101 may be an insulating material and/or a conductive material. The insulating material includes but not limited to polyimide (PI), benzocyclobutene (BCB), perfluorocyclobutane (PFCB), magnesium oxide (MgO), Su8, epoxy resin (epoxy), acrylic resin, cyclic olefin polymer (COC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), polyetherimide, fluorocarbon polymer, glass, alumina (Al2O3), silicon oxide (SiOx), titanium oxide (TiO2), tantalum oxide (Ta2O5), silicon nitride (SiNx), or spin-on glass (SOG). The conductive material includes but not limited to indium tin oxide (ITO), indium oxide (InO), tin oxide (SnO), cadmium tin oxide (CTO), antimony tin oxide (ATO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), zinc tin oxide (ZTO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), diamond-like carbon film (DLC), or gallium zinc oxide (GZO), etc. When the bonding layer 101 uses the conductive material to contact the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102, it can function as a current spreading layer, so that the current spreading effect is improved and the uniformity of current distribution is enhanced.
In some embodiments, a refractive index of the bonding layer 101 is preferably between a refractive index of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 and a refractive index of the substrate 100. For instance, the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 has a refractive index n1, the bonding layer 100 has a refractive index n2, and the substrate 100 has a refractive index n3, where refractive index n1>refractive index n2>refractive index n3. In some embodiments, the refractive index of the bonding layer 100 ranges from 1.2 to 3. The bonding layer 101 may be a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure.
In order to arrange the first contact electrode 106 and the second contact electrode 107 to be described in the following paragraphs on a same side of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104, the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 may be formed on the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 in such a manner that a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 is exposed. Alternatively, the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 may be formed on the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 in such a manner that a portion of the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 is exposed. For instance, with reference to
The light emitting diode chip includes one or more first contact electrodes 106 located on the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 and electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 directly or indirectly and one or more second contact electrodes 107 located on the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 and electrically connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 directly or indirectly. When the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 is p-type, the first contact electrode 106 refers to a p-type contact electrode. When the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 is n-type, the first contact electrode 106 refers to an n-type contact electrode. The second contact electrode 106 is opposite to the first contact electrode 107. In this embodiment, it is preferred that the first contact electrode 106 is a p-type contact electrode.
The first contact electrode 106 and the second contact electrode 107 may be metal electrodes. For instance, the first contact electrode 106 and the second contact electrode 107 include Au, Ge, Ni, Zn, Be, an alloy of any combination thereof, or a stacked layer of any combination thereof. The first contact electrode 106 is preferably an alloy composed of Au, Zn, or Be, or a stacked layer of any combination thereof. The second contact electrode 107 is preferably an alloy composed of Au, Ge, or Ni, or a stacked layer of any combination thereof. Thicknesses of the first contact electrode 106 and the second contact electrode 107 are 0.5 μm to 3 μm, preferably more than 1 μm, to ensure that the first contact electrode 106 and the second contact electrode 107 form good ohmic contact with the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer.
The insulating layer 108 covers an upper surface and a side surface of the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer and covers the first contact electrode 106 and the second contact electrode 107. Further, the insulating layer 108 may be formed to extend and cover an upper surface of the substrate 100 that is partially exposed around the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer. In this way, the insulating layer 108 may be in contact with the upper surface of the substrate 100 and therefore may more stably cover the side surface of the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer. The insulating layer 108 is used to protect the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer from moisture or contaminants, so that the optical and electrical properties of the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer are ensured. The insulating layer may be a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure, and the insulating layer may be composed of SiO2, SiNx, Al2O3, and other materials.
The insulating layer 108 has a first opening and a second opening, and the first wiring electrode 109 and the second wiring electrode 110 are arranged on an upper portion of the insulating layer 108. The first wiring electrode 109 may be electrically connected to the first contact electrode 106 through the first opening of the insulating layer 108. The second wiring electrode 110 may be electrically connected to the second contact electrode 107 through the second opening. The first opening and the second opening may be circular in shape, but the first opening and the second opening may also be square and the like in some other embodiments. The shape and number of the openings are not particularly limited, and only one opening may be provided. If a plurality of openings are provided, the current may be dispersed more evenly. In addition, in some other embodiments, when a plurality of openings are provided, the openings may be distributed at equal or non-equal intervals according to actual needs, and are not limited to the embodiments disclosed in the disclosure. In some embodiments, the first wiring electrode 109 includes Ti, Al, Pt, Au, Ni, Sn, an alloy of any combination thereof, or a stacked layer of any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the second wiring electrode 110 includes Ti, Al, Pt, Au, Ni, Sn, an alloy of any combination thereof, or a stacked layer of any combination thereof. Thicknesses of the first wiring electrode 109 and the second wiring electrode 110 are 1 μm to 5 μm, preferably 3 μm to 4 μm.
In order to effectively disperse the impact force suffered by the electrodes during the wiring process and improve the wiring reliability of the light emitting diode, in this embodiment, horizontal projections of the first wiring electrode 109 and the second wiring electrode 110 on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer are arranged to fall within horizontal projections of the first contact electrode 106 and the second contact electrode 107 on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer. In some optional embodiments, areas of the horizontal projections of the first wiring electrode 109 and the second wiring electrode 110 on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer are preferably less than areas of the horizontal projections of the first contact electrode 106 and the second contact electrode 107 on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer. Preferably, the areas of the horizontal projections of the first wiring electrode 109 and the second wiring electrode 110 on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer are 50% to 99%, preferably more than 60%, and more preferably more than 70% or 80%, of the areas of the horizontal projections of the first contact electrode 106 and the second contact electrode 107 on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer. In this way, a sufficient contact area is ensured to be provided between the first contact electrode and the first wiring electrode to facilitate the spreading of current.
With reference to
Optionally, the first electrode extension strip 106-1 and the second electrode extension strip 107-1 are linearly distributed on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer. Optionally, ends of the first electrode extension strip 106-1 and the second electrode extension strip 107-1 are designed to be smooth arc shapes, and in this way, current spreading is ensured, and further, the arc-shaped ends may lower charge accumulation and the risk of ESD breakdown is also decreased.
The horizontal projections of the first electrode extension strip 106-1 and the second electrode extension strip 107-1 on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer do not overlap the horizontal projections of the first wiring electrode 109 and the second wiring electrode 110.
In some optional embodiments, the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 includes the ohmic contact layer 105. The ohmic contact layer 105 is located below the second electrode extension strip 107-1 and has a patterned structure. The ohmic contact layer 105 may form good ohmic contact with the second electrode extension strip 107-1. A length of the ohmic contact layer 105 may be equal to or shorter than the second electrode extension strip 107-1, and a width may be equal to or shorter than the second electrode extension strip 107-1. For instance, the width of the ohmic contact layer 105 may be 3 μm to 9 μm. As a better implementation, as shown in
In the light emitting diode provided by this embodiment, by arranging the wiring electrodes on the contact electrodes and arranging the projections of the wiring electrodes on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer in a horizontal direction to fall within the horizontal projections of the contact electrodes, the wiring electrodes are ensured to be in good contact with the contact electrodes. Further, the areas of the contact electrodes are greater than that of the wiring electrodes, and since the force-bearing areas become larger during the wiring process, the impact force of wiring may be effectively dispersed, so the reliability of the light emitting diode is improved.
The process for manufacturing the light emitting diode of the abovementioned Embodiment 1 is described in detail in the following paragraphs.
With reference to
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Next, the first opening and the second opening are formed in the insulating layer 108 located on the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 respectively. The first wiring electrode 109 and the second wiring electrode 110 are fabricated and electrically connected to the first conductive type semiconductor layer 102 and the second conductive type semiconductor layer 104 through the corresponding first opening and the second opening, respectively. The light emitting diode as shown in
In the light emitting diode fabricated through the method provided by this embodiment, since the projections of the wiring electrodes on the semiconductor epitaxial stacked layer in the horizontal direction fall within the horizontal projections of the contact electrodes, the wiring electrodes are ensured to be in good contact with the contact electrodes. Further, the areas of the contact electrodes are greater than that of the wiring electrodes, and since the force-bearing areas become larger during the wiring process, the impact force of wiring may be effectively dispersed, so the reliability of the light emitting diode is improved.
This embodiment provides a light emitting device. As shown in
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the disclosure covers modifications and variations provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202310176103.2 | Feb 2023 | CN | national |