Ostendo Technologies, Inc.

Other

Blue Photonics Inc.

Yea-Chuan Milton Yeh

Jyh-Chia Chen

Hussein S El-Ghoroury

Chih-Li Chuang

Mikhail V Kisin

Robert A Frosch

Richard J Stirn

Frank F Ho

Peter A Iles

Xing Li

Shirong Liao

Jinlin Ye

Theeradetch Detchprohm

Disclosed herein are multi-layered optically active regions for semiconductor light-emitting devices (LEDs) that incorporate intermediate carrier blocking layers, the intermediate carrier blocking layers having design parameters for compositions and doping levels selected to provide efficient control over the carrier injection distribution across the active regions to achieve desired device injection characteristics. Examples of embodiments discussed herein include, among others: a multiple-quantum-well variable-color LED operating in visible optical range with full coverage of RGB gamut, a multiple-quantum-well variable-color LED operating in visible optical range with an extended color gamut beyond standard RGB gamut, a multiple-quantum-well light-white emitting LED with variable color temperature, and a multiple-quantum-well LED with uniformly populated active layers.

Multi-color light emitting structures with controllable emission color

Light emitting structures with multiple uniformly populated active layers

Light emitting structures with selective carrier injection into multiple active layers

White light emitting structures with controllable emission color temperature

A III-nitride semiconductor light emitting device incorporating n-type III-nitride cladding layers, indium containing III-nitride light emitting region, and p-type III-nitride cladding layers. The light emitting region is sandwiched between n- and p-type III-nitride cladding layers and includes multiple sets of multi-quantum-wells (MQWs). The first MQW set formed on the n-type cladding layer comprises relatively lower indium concentration. The second MQW set comprising relatively moderate indium concentration. The third MQW set adjacent to the p-type cladding layer incorporating relatively highest indium concentration of the three MQW sets and is capable of emitting amber-to-red light. The first two MQW sets are utilized as pre-strain layers. Between the MQW sets, intermediate strain compensation layers (ISCLs) are added. The combination of the first two MQW sets and ISCLs prevent phase separation and enhance indium uptake in the third MQW set. The third MQW set, as a result, retains sufficiently high indium concentration to emit amber-to-red light of high output power without any phase separation associated problems.

III-nitride semiconductor light emitting device having amber-to-red light emission (&#x3e;600 nm) and a method for making same

A monolithic, multi-color semiconductor light emitting diode (LED) is formed with a multi-bandgap, multi-quantum well (MQW) active light emitting region which emits light at spaced-apart wavelength bands or regions ranging from UV to red. The MQW active light emitting region comprises a MQW layer stack including n quantum barriers which space apart n&#x2212;1 quantum wells. Embodiments include those wherein the MQW layer stack includes quantum wells of at least two different bandgaps for emitting light of two different wavelengths, e.g., in the blue or green regions and in at least one other region, and the intensities of the emissions are adjusted to provide a preselected color of combined light emission, preferably white light.

Monolithic multi-color, multi-quantum well semiconductor LED

In one embodiment, a method of forming a multijunction solar cell having lattice mismatched layers and lattice-matched layers comprises growing a top subcell having a first band gap over a growth semiconductor substrate. A middle subcell having a second band gap is grown over the top subcell, and a lower subcell having a third band gap is grown over the middle subcell. The lower subcell is substantially lattice-mismatched with respect to the growth semiconductor substrate. The first band gap of the top subcell is larger than the second band gap of the middle subcell. The second band gap of the middle subcell is larger than the third band gap of the lower subcell. A support substrate is formed over the lower subcell, and the growth semiconductor substrate is removed. In various embodiments, the multijunction solar cell may further comprise additional lower subcells. A parting layer may also be provided between the growth substrate and the top subcell in certain embodiments. Embodiments of this reverse process permit the top and middle subcells to have high performance by having atomic lattice spacing closely matched to that of the growth substrate. Lower subcells can be included with appropriate band gap, but with lattice spacing mismatched to the other subcells. The reduced performance caused by strain resulting from mismatch can be mitigated without reducing the performance of the upper subcells.

High efficiency, monolithic multijunction solar cells containing lattice-mismatched materials and methods of forming same

A Schottky barrier solar cell consists of a thin substrate of low cost material with at least the top surface of the substrate being electrically conductive. A thin layer of heavily doped n-type polycrystalline germanium, with crystalline sizes in the submicron range, is deposited on the substrate. But first a passivation layer may be deposited on the substrate to prevent migration of impurities into the polycrystalline germanium on a substrate of low-cost conductive material. Then the polycrystalline germanium is recrystallized to increase the crystal sizes in the germanium layer to not less than 5 microns, and preferably considerably more. It serves as a base layer on which a thin layer of gallium arsenide is vapor-epitaxially grown to a selected thickness. Then, a thermally-grown oxide layer of a thickness of several tens of angstroms is formed on the gallium arsenide layer. A metal layer, of not more than about 100 angstroms thick, is deposited on the oxide layer, and a grid electrode is deposited to be in electrical contact with the top surface of the metal layer. An antireflection coating may be deposited on the exposed top surface of the metal layer. In another embodiment, the recrystallized germanium layer serves as the substrate for a Schottky barrier solar cell with more than one active semiconductor layer. The techniques of forming the oxide layer are also applicable in forming an oxide layer between a metal layer and a semiconductor material which together form a Schottky barrier junction in any solar cell.

Method of fabricating Schottky barrier solar cell

Schottky barrier solar cell

Growing community of inventors

Santa Monica, CA, United States of America

Yea-Chuan Milton Yeh