# US 10,770,634 B1 · Reflectors having overall mesa shapes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,770,634 B1 - Document ID: US10770634B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/379,426 - Filed: 2019-04-09 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2019-04-09 - Assignees: Facebook Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Facebook Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Daniel Bryce Thompson; James Small - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10770634B1 ## CPC - H10H 20/819: characterised by their shape, e.g. curved or truncated substrates - H10H 20/856: Reflecting means - H10H 20/816: having carrier transport control structures, e.g. highly-doped semiconductor layers or current-blocking structures - H10H 20/821: of the light-emitting regions, e.g. non-planar junctions - H10H 20/841: Reflective coatings, e.g. dielectric Bragg reflectors - H10P 14/00: Formation of materials, e.g. in the shape of layers or pillars - H10D 62/104: {having particular shapes of the bodies at or near reverse-biased junctions, e.g. having bevels or moats} - H10D 62/106: {having supplementary regions doped oppositely to or in rectifying contact with regions of the semiconductor bodies, e.g. guard rings with PN or Schottky junctions} - H10H 20/034: {of coatings} - H10H 20/0363: {of optical field-shaping means} - H10H 20/823: comprising only Group II-VI materials, e.g. ZnO - H10H 20/825: containing nitrogen, e.g. GaN - H10H 20/84: Coatings, e.g. passivation layers or antireflective coatings - H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES ## Abstract Disclosed are techniques related to reflectors having overall mesa shapes. Such a reflector may be formed over an overall mesa-shaped, layered structure of an apparatus for emitting light. The overall mesa-shaped, layered structure may comprise a mesa complement structure, a first-type doped semiconductor, a light emission layer, and a second-type doped semiconductor arranged in layers. Thus, the reflector may be configured to collimate light that emits from the light emission layer and reaches the reflector through the mesa complement structure. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for emitting light, comprising: a mesa complement structure; a first-type doped semiconductor; a light emission layer; a second-type doped semiconductor; and a reflector, wherein the mesa complement structure, the first-type doped semiconductor, the light emission layer, and the second-type doped semiconductor are arranged in layers and form an overall mesa-shaped, layered structure, and wherein the reflector is formed on the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure and configured to collimate light that emits from the light emission layer and reaches the reflector through the mesa complement structure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mesa complement structure, the first-type doped semiconductor, the light emission layer, and the second-type doped semiconductor are etched together to form the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mesa complement structure comprises a transparent dielectric material. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transparent dielectric material is a silicon oxide or a silicon nitride material. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure has a curved mesa shape. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the curved mesa shape is a paraboloid shape. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflector comprises multiple layers of dielectric material. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflector comprises a layer of aluminum or silver. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: an electrical contact positioned at a surface of the first-type doped semiconductor; and an interconnect that connects the electrical contact to the reflector. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light emission layer comprises a III-Nitride semiconductor material. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light emission layer comprises an aluminum indium gallium phosphide semiconductor material. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first-type doped semiconductor, the light emission layer, and the second-type doped semiconductor form a truncated mesa-shaped, layered structure that is augmented with the mesa complement structure to form the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure. ### Claim 13 A method, comprising: forming a mesa-shaped mask at a surface of a layered semiconductor device, wherein the layered semiconductor device comprises a first-type doped semiconductor, a light emission layer, and a second-type doped semiconductor; etching the mesa-shaped mask and the layered semiconductor device to form an overall mesa-shaped, layered structure, wherein the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure comprises a mesa complement structure and a truncated mesa-shaped, layered structure, wherein the mesa complement structure corresponds to part of the mesa-shaped mask, wherein the truncated mesa-shaped, layered structure corresponds to part of the layered semiconductor device, and wherein the mesa complement structure augments the truncated mesa-shaped, layered structure to form the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure; and forming a reflector over the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure, thereby enabling collimation of light that emits from the light emission layer and reaches the reflector through the mesa complement structure. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the mesa-shaped mask is composed of a transparent dielectric material. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure has a paraboloid shape. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the surface of the layered semiconductor device comprises a flat surface that accommodates an electrical contact. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein forming the mesa-shaped mask comprises: applying masking material to the surface of the layered semiconductor device; applying photoresist material to a surface of the masking material; forming the photoresist material into a mesa shape; and using an etching technique to transfer the mesa shape of the photoresist material to the masking material, thereby forming the mesa-shaped mask. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: prior to forming the mesa-shaped mask, positioning an electrical contact at the surface of the layered semiconductor device; after forming the mesa-shaped mask, etching a corridor through the mesa complement structure until the electrical contact is reached; and filling the corridor with a conductive material that connects the electrical contact with the reflector. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the mesa-shaped mask is composed of a silicon oxide or a silicon nitride material. ### Claim 20 An apparatus fabricated by a method comprising: forming a mesa-shaped mask at a surface of a layered semiconductor device, wherein the layered semiconductor device comprises a first-type doped semiconductor, a light emission layer, and a second-type doped semiconductor; etching the mesa-shaped mask and the layered semiconductor device to form an overall mesa-shaped, layered structure, wherein the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure comprises a mesa complement structure and a truncated mesa-shaped, layered structure, wherein the mesa complement structure corresponds to part of the mesa-shaped mask, wherein the truncated mesa-shaped, layered structure corresponds to part of the layered semiconductor device, and wherein the mesa complement structure augments the truncated mesa-shaped, layered structure to form the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure; and forming a reflector over the overall mesa-shaped, layered structure, thereby enabling collimation of light that emits from the light emission layer and reaches the reflector through the mesa complement structure.