Sanken Electric Co., Ltd.

Koji Otsuka

Junji Sato

Tetsuji Moku

Hitoshi Murofushi

Yoshiki Tada

Takashi Yoshida

Nobuo Kaneko

Masataka Yanagihara

Hidekazu Aoyagi

Takashi Kato

Osamu Machida

Arei Niwa

Yasuhiro Kamii

Shinichi Iwakami

Masahiro Sato

Emiko Chino

Nobuhisa Sugimori

Hideyuki Watanabe

Tomoya Sugahara

A lighting device is provided to include a plurality of lens bodies. The connecting portion connecting the plurality of lens bodies includes a first major surface and a second major surface opposite to the first major surface. The first major surface is in contact with the lateral portion at a first contact under an outer edge of the leading lens. The second major surface is in contact with the lateral portion at a second contact located below the first contact. The first contact is located outside of a point of intersection along the first major surface with respect to the center of each lens body, the point of intersection at which an extraction of the first major surface intersects with an extension of a ray of the emitted light which is incident on the light incident surface and is projected on the second contact.

Lighting device

A light emitting device includes: a first semiconductor region; a second semiconductor region and third semiconductor region which are provided in the first semiconductor region; a first semiconductor light emitting element of which first electrode is electrically connected to a main surface of the second semiconductor region; a second semiconductor light emitting element of which third electrode is electrically connected to a main surface of the third semiconductor region; and a conductor which electrically connects the second electrode of the first semiconductor light emitting element and the third semiconductor region, and which electrically connects the second electrode and the third electrode through the third semiconductor region. In the light emitting device, the semiconductor light emitting elements are connected in series, and are directly connected to a power source.

Light emitting device

An array of LEDs are grown by epitaxy on row-connecting conductor strips extending in parallel spaced relationship to one another on the surface of a semiconductor substrate and are thereby electrically interconnected in rows. The row-connecting conductor strips are formed by ion implantation of a p-type dopant into parts of an n-type silicon substrate. Column-connecting conductor strips extend over the light-emitting surfaces of the LEDs for electrically interconnecting them in columns. The LEDs are lit up individually by voltage application between one of the row-connecting conductor strips and one of the column-connecting conductor strips.

LED array for microdisplays or like application

A high electron mobility transistor is disclosed which has a triple-layered main semiconductor region formed on a silicon substrate via a multilayered buffer region. The multilayered buffer region is in the form of alternations of an aluminum nitride layer and a gallium nitride layer. Whilst the aluminum nitride layers are of n-like conductivity, the gallium nitride layers are doped into p-type conductivity, with the consequent creation of pn junctions between the two kinds of buffer layers. Another pn junction is formed between one p-type gallium nitride layer and the adjoining n-like electron transit layer included in the main semiconductor region. The pn junctions serve for reduction of current leakage.

Nitride-based semiconductor device with reduced leakage current

A high electron mobility transistor is disclosed which has a main semiconductor region formed on a silicon substrate. The main semiconductor region is a lamination of a buffer layer on the substrate, an electron transit layer on the buffer layer, and an electron supply layer on the electron transit layer. A source, drain, and gate overlie the electron supply layer. Also formed on the electron supply layer is a surface-stabilizing organic semiconductor overlay which is of p conductivity type in contrast to the n type of the electron supply layer.

Surface-stabilized semiconductor device

A two-dimensional carrier is generated in the vicinity of an interface that is a hetero interface between a semiconductor layer and a semiconductor layer. Two concave portions are formed so as to extend from a primary surface as far as the interface. An electrode that is made of metal and provides a Schottky junction with the semiconductor layers is formed on a bottom surface and a side surface of the concave portion. An electrode that is made from metal and provides a low resistance contact with the semiconductor layers and is also in low resistance contact therewith is formed on the bottom surface and side surface of the concave portion. As a result, a semiconductor device is provided in which contact resistance between the electrodes and the semiconductor layers is reduced and high frequency characteristics are improved.

III-V nitride semiconductor device comprising a concave shottky contact and an ohmic contact

An LED has a light-generating semiconductor region formed on a baseplate via an electroconductive reflector layer. The light-generating semiconductor region has an active layer sandwiched between a pair of claddings of opposite conductivity types for generating light. For good ohmic contact with the light-generating semiconductor region without any substantive diminution of reflectivity compared to that of unalloyed silver, the reflector layer is made from a silver-base alloy containing a major proportion of silver and at least either one of copper, gold, palladium, neodymium, silicon, iridium, nickel, tungsten, zinc, gallium, titanium, magnesium, yttrium, indium, and tin.

LED having a reflector layer of improved contact ohmicity

A light-emitting device has a main semiconductor region formed via an n-type AlInGaN buffer region on a p-type silicon substrate, the latter being sufficiently electroconductive to provide part of the current path through the device. Constituting the primary working part of the LED, the main semiconductor region comprises an n-type GaN layer, an active layer, and a p-type GaN layer, which are successively epitaxially grown in that order on the buffer region. A heterojunction is created between p-type substrate and n-type buffer region. Carrier transportation from substrate to buffer region is expedited by the interface levels of the heterojunction, with a consequent reduction of the drive voltage requirement of the LED.

Nitride-based semiconductor device of reduced voltage drop

A light-emitting diode is built on a silicon substrate which has been doped with a p-type impurity to possess sufficient conductivity to provide part of the current path through the LED. The p-type silicon substrate has epitaxially grown thereon a buffer region of n-type AlInGaN. Further grown epitaxially on the buffer region is the main semiconductor region of the LED which comprises a lower confining layer of n-type GaN, an active layer for generating light, and an upper confining layer of p-type GaN. In the course of the growth of the buffer region and main semiconductor region there occurs a thermal diffusion of gallium and other Group III elements from the buffer region into the p-type silicon substrate, with the consequent creation of a p-type low-resistance region in the substrate. Interface levels are created across the heterojunction between p-type silicon substrate and n-type buffer region. The interface levels expedite carrier transport from substrate to buffer region, contributing to reduction of the drive voltage requirement of the LED.

Nitride-based semiconductor device of reduced voltage drop, and method of fabrication

A substrate system of the kind having a buffer region interposed between a silicon substrate proper and a nitride semiconductor region in order to make up for a difference in linear expansion coefficient therebetween. Electrodes are formed on the nitride semiconductor layer or layers in order to provide HEMTs or MESFETs. The buffer region is a lamination of a multiplicity of buffer layers each comprising a first, a second, and a third buffer sublayer of nitride semiconductors, in that order from the silicon substrate proper toward the nitride semiconductor region. The three sublayers of each buffer layer contain aluminum in varying proportions including zero. The aluminum proportion of the third buffer sublayer is either zero or intermediate that of the first buffer sublayer and that of the second. The low aluminum proportion of the third buffer sublayer serves to prevent two-dimensional electron gas from generating in the buffer region and hence to make this region sufficiently high in resistance to inhibit current leakage from the HEMTs or MESFETs.

Nitride semiconductor substrate and semiconductor element built thereon

A high electron mobility transistor is disclosed which has a double-layered main semiconductor region formed on a silicon substrate via a multilayered buffer region. The multilayered buffer region is in the form of alternations of an aluminum nitride layer and a gallium nitride layer. The main semiconductor region, buffer region, and part of the substrate taper as they extend away from the rest of the substrate, providing slanting side surfaces. An electroconductive antileakage overlay covers these side surfaces via an electrically insulating overlay. Electrically coupled to the silicon substrate via a contact electrode, the antileakage overlay serves for reduction of current leakage along the side surfaces.

Nitride-based semiconductor device of reduced current leakage

A light-emitting diode having a silicon substrate on which there are successively formed a buffer layer, a p-type nitride semiconductor layer, an active layer, an n-type nitride semiconductor layer, and a current spreading layer. The current spreading layer is a lamination of a first and a second sublayer arranged alternately a required number of times. Composed of different compound semiconductors, the alternating sublayers of the current spreading layer create heterojunctions for offering the two-dimensional gas effect. The current spreading layer is so low in resistivity in a direction parallel to its major surface from which light is emitted, that the current is favorably spread therein for improved efficiency of light emission. A front electrode in the form of a metal pad is mounted centrally on the major surface of the current spreading layer in ohmic contact therewith.

Light-emitting semiconductor device

A light-emitting diode is built on a silicon substrate doped with a p-type impurity to possess sufficient conductivity to provide a current path. The p-type silicon substrate has epitaxially grown thereon two superposed buffer layers of aluminum nitride and n-type indium gallium nitride. Further grown epitaxially on the buffer layers is the main semiconductor region of the LED which comprises a lower confining layer of n-type gallium nitride, an active layer for generating light, and an upper confining layer of p-type gallium nitride. In the course of the growth of the main semiconductor region there occurs a thermal diffusion of aluminum, gallium and indium from the buffer layers into the p-type silicon substrate, with the consequent creation of an alloy layer of the diffused metals. Representing p-type impurities in the p-type silicon substrate, these metals do not create a pn junction in the substrate which causes a forward voltage drop.

Nitride-based semiconductor device

For fabricating an LED substrate with minimal dislocations in its nitride semiconductor layers, GaN is epitaxially grown into a first formative layer overlying a multilayered buffer region on a silicon substrate. A second formative layer is then formed on the first formative layer by epitaxially growing AlN, at such a rate that interstices are created in the first formative layer by the etching action of the reactor gases in the early stages of the fabrication of the second formative layer. Then the second formative layer is etched away from over the intersticed first formative layer, leaving the interstices open. Then a filler layer of GaN is epitaxially grown on the intersticed first formative layer in interfitting engagement therewith. Dislocations are greatly reduced in active semiconductor layers formed subsequently on the filler layer.

Method of making substrates for nitride semiconductor devices

An overvoltage-proof light-emitting diode has a lamination of light-generating semiconductor layers on a first major surface of a silicon substrate. A front electrode in the form of a bonding pad is mounted centrally atop the light-generating semiconductor layers whereas a back electrode covers a second major surface of the substrate. An overvoltage protector, of which several different forms are disclosed, is disposed between the bonding pad and the second major surface of the substrate. The bonding pad and back electrode serves as electrodes for both LED and overvoltage protector. As seen from above the device, or in a direction normal to the first major surface of the substrate, the overvoltage protector lies substantially wholly beneath the bonding pad.

Growing community of inventors

Niiza, Japan

Koji Otsuka