Light-emitting semiconductor component
View Patent ↗In a light-emitting semiconductor component having a thin-film stack ( 30 ) having an active layer ( 34 ) and front- and rear-side contact regions ( 40, 42 ), which are formed on a front side ( 60 ) and a rear side ( 62 ) of the thin-film stack ( 30 ) and serve for impressing current into the active layer ( 34 ), the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a light generation region ( 50 ), in which photons are generated by recombination of charge carriers, and has a light coupling-out region ( 54 ), in which light is coupled out from the component. The light generation region ( 50 ) and the light coupling-out region ( 54 ) are at least partly separated from one another in the plane of the thin-film stack ( 30 ).
1. A light-emitting semiconductor component having:
a thin-film stack ( 30 ) having an active layer ( 34 ); and
front- and rear-side contact regions ( 40 , 42 ), which are formed on a front side ( 60 ) and a rear side ( 62 ) of the thin-film stack ( 30 ) and serve for impressing current into the active layer ( 34 ),
wherein the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a light generation region ( 50 ), in which photons are generated by recombination of charge carriers, and has a light coupling-out region ( 54 ), in which light is coupled out from the component, a part of the light coupling-out region ( 54 ) being separated separated from the light generation region ( 50 ), and the light generation region ( 50 ) being spatially separated from the contact regions ( 40 , 42 ) in the plane of the thin-film stack ( 30 ).
2. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light coupling-out region ( 54 ) contains the light generation region ( 50 ), light being generated and coupled out from the light generation region ( 50 ).
3. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light coupling-out region ( 54 ) contains a coupling-out only region ( 52 ) without an active layer, in which no photons are generated by recombination of charge carriers.
4. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the surface ( 56 ) of the coupling-out only region ( 52 ), which surface faces toward the front side ( 60 ) of the thin-film stack ( 30 ), is roughened.
5. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the surface ( 56 ) of the coupling-out only region ( 52 ), which surface faces toward the front side ( 60 ) of the thin-film stack ( 30 ), has a roughness with an irregular structure.
6. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the surface ( 56 ) of the coupling-out only region ( 52 ), which surface faces toward the front side ( 60 ) of the thin-film stack ( 30 ), has a regular etching structure, as roughness.
7. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 3 , wherein that surface of the coupling-out only region ( 52 ) which faces toward the rear side ( 62 ) of the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a roughness with an irregular structure.
8. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 3 , wherein that surface of the coupling-out only region ( 52 ) which faces toward the rear side ( 62 ) of the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a regular etching structure, as roughness.
9. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light generation region ( 50 ) is spatially separated from the contact regions ( 40 , 42 ) by separating regions ( 38 , 58 ) without an active layer.
10. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a first recess ( 38 ), interrupting the active layer ( 34 ), in a region around the front-side contact region ( 40 ).
11. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a second recess ( 58 ), interrupting the active layer ( 34 ), in a region above the rear-side contact region ( 42 ).
12. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light coupling-out region ( 54 ) contains a coupling-out only region ( 52 ) without an active layer, in which no photons are generated by recombination of charge carriers and wherein the coupling-out only region ( 52 ) encompasses the region of the second recess ( 58 ).
13. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light generation region ( 50 ) is electrically connected to the contact regions ( 40 , 42 ) in each case by means of a cladding layer ( 32 , 36 ).
14. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the cladding layer ( 32 ) connecting the light generation region ( 50 ) to the rear-side contact region ( 42 ) forms the coupling-out only region ( 52 ) in the region of the second recess ( 58 ).
15. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the cladding layer ( 32 ) connecting the light generation region ( 50 ) to the rear-side contact region ( 42 ) has a layer thickness between and including 1 μm and 15 μm in the region of the second recess ( 58 ).
16. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the cladding layer ( 32 ) connecting the light generation region ( 50 ) to the rear-side contact region ( 42 ) has a layer thickness between and including 2 μm and 8 μm in the region of the second recess ( 58 ).
17. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the active layer ( 32 ) has a layer thickness between and including 150 nm to 1500 nm.
18. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the active layer ( 32 ) has a layer thickness between and including 400 nm to 1000 nm.
19. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the front-side contact region is formed by a central middle contact ( 40 ).
20. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rear-side contact region is formed by a peripheral contact frame ( 42 ) at the edge of the component.
21. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a thickness of between and including 3 μm and 50 μm.
22. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a thickness of between and including 5 μm and 25 μm.
23. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a layer sequence based on Al x Ga y In 1−x−y P, where 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1 and x+y≦1.
24. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cladding layers ( 32 , 36 ) of the thin-film stack ( 30 ) are formed on the basis of Al x Ga 1−x As, where 0≦x≦1.
25. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 21 , wherein an active layer ( 34 ) formed on the basis of Al x Ga y In 1−x−y P, where 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1 and x+y≦1, is arranged between the cladding layers ( 32 , 36 ).
26. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a layer sequence based on Al x Ga 1−x As, where 0≦x≦1.
27. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a second recess ( 58 ), interrupting the active layer ( 34 ), in a region above the rear-side contact region ( 42 ).
28. A light-emitting semiconductor component, comprising:
a thin-film stack ( 30 ) having an active layer ( 34 ); and
front- and rear-side contact regions ( 40 , 42 ), which are formed on a front side ( 60 ) and a rear side ( 62 ) of the thin-film stack ( 30 ) for impressing current into the active layer ( 34 ),
wherein the thin-film stack ( 30 ) has a light generation region ( 50 ), in which photons are generated by recombination of charge carriers, a light coupling-out region ( 54 ), in which light is coupled out from the component, at least a part of the light coupling-out region ( 54 ) being separate from the light generation region ( 50 ) in the plane of the thin-film stack ( 30 ), and a highly reflective mirror layer covering the rear side ( 62 ) of the thin-film stack ( 30 ) except for the area of said rear-side contact region ( 42 ).
29. The light-emitting semiconductor component as claimed in claim 28 , wherein the highly reflective mirror layer comprises a dielectric mirror layer.