Led structure with minimized light emission area

Abstract

Described herein are light emitting apparatuses with minimized light emission areas and methods for fabricating such apparatuses. In certain embodiments, the emission area corresponds to an area of an electrical contact and is minimized by minimizing the area of the electrical contact. The electrical contact is configured to receive an electrical signal that causes a light emission layer to generate light. The light emission layer is between a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer, with the electrical contact being formed on the second semiconductor layer. To protect the second semiconductor layer from damage during an etching process, a conductive body is formed around the electrical contact, where the conductive body is a non-ohmic contact to the second semiconductor layer. The conductive body acts as an etch stop against unintended etching of the second semiconductor layer as a result of an alignment error during the etching process.