High efficiency light emitting diode (LED) with optimized photonic crystal extractor

A light emitting diode (LED) device, comprising a substrate;

• an active layer formed on the substrate, wherein the active layer includes one or more light emitting species;
• one or more optical confinement layers formed under or around the active layer;
• and one or more diffraction gratings formed on the LED, wherein the diffraction gratings are two-dimensional photonic crystals that direct emissions outside the LED;
• wherein the optical confinement layers are formed to tailor a structure of guided modes within the LED to enhance light extraction by the photonic crystals, by exciting the guided modes localized above the optical confinement layers for extraction by the photonic crystals, and the photonic crystals convert the guided modes into extracted light from the LED;
• and wherein the LED device is fabricated according to the following method:
• (a) forming the active layer on a substrate;
• (b) forming the optical confinement layers under or around the active layer;
• and
• (c) forming the diffraction gratings on LED.