IP Library Granted Patent US 11,942,507
Granted Patent B2
US 11,942,507 · App. 17/193,017 · Granted Mar 26, 2024

Light emitting diode devices

Inventors: Erik William Young (San Jose, CA); Dennis Scott (Dublin, CA); Rajat Sharma (San Jose, CA); Toni Lopez (Aachen, DE); Yu-Chen Shen (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Lumileds LLC
H01L27/156H01L33/007H01L33/24H01L33/382H01L33/405H01L33/44H01L2933/0016H01L2933/0025
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,942,507
App. No.
17/193,017
Granted
Mar 26, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Described are light emitting diode (LED) devices comprising a plurality of mesas defining pixels, each of the plurality of mesas comprising semiconductor layers, an N-contact material in a space between each of the plurality of mesas, a dielectric material which insulates sidewalls of the P-type layer and the active region from the metal. Each of the mesas is spaced so that there is a pixel pitch in a range of from 10 μm to 100 μm and dark space gap between adjacent edges of p-contact layer. The dark space gap may be less than 20% of the pixel pitch. The dark space gap may be in a range of from 4 μm to 10 μm.

Claims (38)

1. A light emitting diode (LED) device comprising:

a plurality of mesas defining pixels, each of the mesas comprising semiconductor layers, the semiconductor layers including an N-type layer, an active region, and a P-type layer, each of the mesas having a height less than or equal to their width;

an N-contact material in a space between each of the mesas, the N-contact material providing optical isolation between each of the mesas, and electrically contacting the N-type layer of each of the mesas along sidewalls of the N-type layers;

a dielectric material which insulates sidewalls of the P-type layer and the active region from the N-contact material; and

each of the mesas comprising a conductive p-contact layer extending across a first portion of each of the mesas and including an edge, inner spacers between the conductive p-contact layer and the dielectric material extending across a remaining portion of each of the mesas on a portion the P-type layer, and the space between each of the mesas results in a pixel pitch in a range of from 10 μm to 100 μm and a dark space gap between adjacent edges of the conductive p-contact layer of less than 20% of the pixel pitch.

2. The LED device of claim 1 , wherein the conductive p-contact layer comprises a reflective metal.

3. The LED device of claim 1 , wherein the pixel pitch is in a range of from 40 μm to 100 μm.

4. The LED device of claim 1 , wherein the dark space gap between adjacent edges of the conductive p-contact layer of less than 10% of the pixel pitch.

5. The LED device of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor layers are epitaxial semiconductor layers having a thickness in a range of from 2 μm to 10 μm.

6. The LED device of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric material is in a form of outer spacers comprising a material selected from the group consisting of SiO2, AlOx, and SiN, having a thickness in a range of from 200 nm to 1 μm.

7. The LED device of claim 1 , wherein the N-contact material has a depth from a top surface of the mesas in a range of from 0.5 μm to 2 μm.

8. The LED device of claim 1 , wherein each of the mesas includes sidewalls of the semiconductor layers, each having a first segment and a second segment, wherein the first segments of the sidewalls define an angle in a range of from 60 degrees to 90 degrees from a horizontal plane that is parallel with the N-type layer and the P-type layer, the second segments of the sidewalls form an angle with a top surface of a substrate upon which the mesas are formed in a range of from 75 to less than 90 degrees.

9. The LED device of claim 1 , wherein the inner spacers are adjacent to sidewalls of an opening of a hard mask layer.

10. A light emitting diode (LED) device comprising:

a plurality of mesas defining pixels, each of the mesas comprising semiconductor layers, the semiconductor layers including an N-type layer, an active region, and a P-type layer, each of the mesas having a height less than or equal to their width;

an N-contact material in a space between each of the mesas, the N-contact material providing optical isolation between each of the mesas, and electrically contacting the N-type layer of each of the mesas along sidewalls of the N-type layers;

a dielectric material which insulates sidewalls of the P-type layer and the active region from the N-contact material; and

each of the mesas comprising a conductive p-contact layer extending across a first portion of each of the mesas and including an edge, inner spacers between the conductive p-contact layer and the dielectric material extending across a remaining portion of each of the mesas on a portion of the P-type layer, and the space between each of the mesas results in a pixel pitch in a range of from 10 μm to 100 μm and a dark space gap between adjacent edges of the conductive p-contact layer in a range of from 4 μm to 10 μm.

11. The LED device of claim 10 , wherein the conductive p-contact layer comprises a reflective metal.

12. The LED device of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of mesas comprises an array of mesas.

13. The LED device of claim 10 , wherein the dark space gap is in a range of from 4 μm and to 8 μm.

14. The LED device of claim 10 , wherein the pixel pitch is in a range of from 40 μm to 100 μm.

15. The LED device of claim 10 , wherein the inner spacers are adjacent to sidewalls of an opening of a hard mask layer.

16. A method of manufacturing a light emitting diode (LED) device comprising:

depositing a plurality of semiconductor layers including an N-type layer, an active region, and a P-type layer on a substrate;

depositing a conductive p-contact layer on the plurality of semiconductor layers and a hard mask layer on the conductive p-contact layer;

etching a portion of the conductive p-contact layer and the hard mask layer to form openings;

depositing inner spacer material in the openings to form inner spacers on sidewalls of conductive p-contact layer and the hard mask layer;

etching a portion of the semiconductor layers to form trenches and plurality of mesas defining pixels, each of the mesas comprising the semiconductor layers and each of the mesas having a height less than or equal to their width;

depositing a dielectric material in the trenches; and

depositing an N-contact material in a space between each of the mesas, the N-contact material providing optical isolation between each of the mesas, and electrically contacting the N-type layer of each of the mesas along sidewalls of the N-type layers, wherein the dielectric material insulates sidewalls of the P-type layer and the active region from the N-contact material;

each of the mesas comprising the conductive p-contact layer extending across a first portion of each of the mesas and including an edge, inner spacers between the conductive p-contact layer and the dielectric material extending across a remaining portion of each of the mesas on a portion the P-type layer, and the space between each of the mesas results in a pixel pitch in a range of from 1 μm to 100 μm and a dark space gap between adjacent edges of the conductive p-contact layer.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the dark space gap between adjacent edges of the conductive p-contact layer is less than 20% of the pixel pitch.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the dark space gap in a range of from 4 μm to 10 μm.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising forming an array of mesas.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the conductive p-contact layer comprises a reflective metal.

21. The method of claim 16 , wherein the pixel pitch is in a range of from 40 μm to 100 μm.

22. The method of claim 16 , wherein the semiconductor layers have a thickness in a range of from 2 μm to 10 μm.

Assignments (5)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 10, 2025
From: LUMILEDS LLC
To: LUMILEDS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 071888/0086 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 29, 2025
From: SOUND POINT AGENCY LLC
To: LUMILEDS LLC; LUMILEDS HOLDING B.V.
Reel/Frame 070046/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 5, 2023
From: LUMILEDS LLC; LUMILEDS HOLDING B.V.
To: SOUND POINT AGENCY LLC
Reel/Frame 062299/0338 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 9, 2022
From: LUMILEDS, LLC
To: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH
Reel/Frame 062114/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 19, 2021
From: YOUNG, ERIK WILLIAM; SCOTT, DENNIS; SHARMA, RAJAT; LOPEZ, TONI; SHEN, YU-CHEN
To: LUMILEDS LLC
Reel/Frame 055646/0551 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62987969 · Mar 11, 2020
Related Publication 20220285425A1 · Sep 8, 2022