Nitride-based semiconductor component such as a light-emitting diode or a laser diode

1. A semiconductor component comprising:

a semiconductor body containing a nitride compound semiconductor;

a contact metalization on the semiconductor body and having a side which faces away from the semiconductor body; and

a protective layer arranged on said side of the contact metalization which faces away from the semiconductor body,

wherein the protective layer has a plurality of recesses through which hydrogen can pass.

2. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the contact metalization has a plurality of recesses arranged near to one another.

3. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the recesses in the contact metalization are separated from one another by webs having a width of between 1 μm and 5 μm.

4. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the contact metalization has a plurality of recesses arranged near to one another and has a thickness of between 100 nm and 5 μm.

5. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the contact metalization has a plurality of recesses arranged near to each other, and wherein the recesses in the protective layer overlap the recesses in the contact metalization in plan view.

6. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the recesses in the protective layer and the recesses in the contact metalization have the same form and are arranged congruently above one another.

7. A semiconductor component comprising:

a semiconductor body containing a nitride compound semiconductor;

a contact metalization on the semiconductor body; and

a pn junction,

wherein the pn junction is laterally bounded by side areas of the semiconductor body,

wherein the side areas of the semiconductor body are at least partly provided with a protective layer which at least partly covers the pn junction uncovered at the side areas, and

wherein the contact metalization has a plurality of recesses arranged near to one another thereby allowing hydrogen to pass through the contact metalization.

8. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the contact metalization is at least partly not covered by the protective layer.

9. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the recesses in the contact metalization are separated from one another by webs having a width of between 1 μm and 5 μm.

10. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 or claim 7 , wherein the nitride compound semiconductor is a nitride compound having elements of the third and/or fifth main group of the periodic table.

11. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the nitride compound is one of the compounds GaN, AlN, InN, Al x Ga 1-x N, 0≦x≦1, In x Ga 1-x N,0≦x≦1 and Al x In y Ga 1-x-y N, 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦x+y≦1.

12. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 or claim 7 , wherein the semiconductor body has a p-conducting partial region and the contact metalization is arranged on a surface of the p-conducting partial region of the semiconductor body.

13. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 or claim 7 , wherein the protective layer contains silicon oxide or silicon nitride.

14. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 or claim 7 , wherein the contact metalization is hydrogen-permeable.

15. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 or claim 7 , wherein the contact metalization contains palladium, platinum, nickel or gold.

16. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 or claim 7 , wherein the contact metalization has a thickness of between 1 nm and 100 nm.

17. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 1 or claim 7 , wherein the semiconductor component is a radiation-emitting component.

18. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the semiconductor component is a light-emitting diode or a laser diode.

19. The semiconductor component as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the contact metalization is radiation-transmissive.