Wide band gap semiconductor light emitting devices
AssigneeNorth American Philips Corporation
InventorSel B. Colak
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Abstract
Wide band gap, single conductivity type semiconductor light emitting diodes (LED's) feature a bias potential across the device below that required for carrier multiplication by avalanche breakdown, together with separate means for carrier introduction, such as an electron beam of a pn junction diode, to achieve light emission. The addition of Fabry-Perot surfaces converts the LED to a semiconductor laser. Efficiency enhancing heterostructure, including potential wells and staircases, may be added to the device. Arrays of such devices on a substrate may be scanned by an electron beam to display video information.
Claims18
Wide band gap, single conductivity type semiconductor light emitting device, the device having at least two electrodes and an active region between the electrodes, the active region including a carrier recombination region and comprising an essentially single crystal semiconductor compound of a single conductivity type selected from the group of II-VI and III-V semiconductor compounds and mixed compounds, characterized in that separate means for carrier introduction into the active region is provided, whereby in operation, application of a bias potential across the electrodes below that required for carrier multiplication by avalanche breakdown enables excitation of light emission by separate carrier introduction at a lower energy than would be required without the bias potential.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.