Semiconductor light emitting device with integrated electronic components
View Patent ↗One or more circuit elements such as silicon diodes, resistors, capacitors, and inductors are disposed between the semiconductor structure of a semiconductor light emitting device and the connection layers used to connect the device to an external structure. In some embodiments, the n-contacts to the semiconductor structure are distributed across multiple vias, which are isolated from the p-contacts by one or more dielectric layers. The circuit elements are formed in the contacts-dielectric layers-connection layers stack.
1. A device comprising plural vertically stacked stacks, the device comprising:
a first stack including a semiconductor structure comprising a light emitting region, an n-type region, and a p-type region, the light emitting region disposed between the n-type region and the p-type region, the semiconductor structure including a p-n junction, the light emitting region, the n-type region, and the p-type region structured as a flip chip having a first side including the light emitting region and the p-type and n-type regions, the first side defining a bottom side of the semiconductor structure;
a second stack including a circuit element comprising a diode comprising a p-type silicon layer and an n-type silicon layer, the diode having a junction substantially parallel to the p-n junction, the second stack including the circuit element stacked on the bottom side of the semiconductor structure;
a first reflective and opaque metal contact layer in direct contact with the n-type region and a second reflective metal contact layer in direct contact with the p-type region, wherein the first reflective metal contact layer and the second reflective metal contact layer are both stacked on the bottom side of the semiconductor structure, the first and second reflective metal contact layers together cover the bottom side of the semiconductor structure, and the first reflective metal contact layer and the second reflective metal contact layer are stacked between, and separate the circuit element from the semiconductor structure, the first and second reflective metal contacts directing light out a side of the semiconductor structure different from the first side;
a first metal connection layer stacked on the bottom side of the first stack and directly contacting the first reflective metal contact layer; and
a second metal connection layer stacked on the bottom side of the first stack and directly contacting the second reflective metal contact layer, and
wherein the second stack is stacked between the second metal connection layer and the first reflective metal contact layer.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the diode junction comprises a p-n junction.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the circuit element comprises a p-type silicon layer electrically connected to the first reflective metal contact layer and comprises an n-type silicon layer electrically connected to the second metal connection layer.
4. The device of claim 3 wherein the circuit element further comprises an i-type silicon layer disposed between the p-type silicon layer and the n-type silicon layer.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the diode junction is connected in an antiparallel configuration to the p-n junction.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the circuit element is a first circuit element, the device further comprising a second circuit element disposed between the semiconductor structure and at least one of the first metal connection layer and the second metal connection layer, wherein the second circuit element comprises at least one metal layer isolated from another portion of the device by a dielectric layer.
7. The device of claim 1 further comprising a cover disposed over the light emitting region.
8. The device of claim 1 wherein the light emitting region comprises a III-nitride light emitting layer.