# US 7,745,814 B2 · Polychromatic LED's and related semiconductor devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,745,814 B2 - Document ID: US7745814B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/009,241 - Filed: 2004-12-09 - Published: 2006-06-15 - Granted: 2010-06-29 - Earliest claimed: 2004-12-09 - Assignees: 3M Innovative Properties Company - Inventors: Thomas J. Miller; Michael A. Haase; Xiaoguang Sun - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7745814B2 ## CPC - H10H 20/823: comprising only Group II-VI materials, e.g. ZnO - B82Y 20/00: Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals - H10H 20/81: Bodies - H10H 20/812: within the light-emitting regions, e.g. having quantum confinement structures - H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS - B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES ## Abstract A semiconductor device is provided comprising a first potential well located within a pn junction and a second potential well not located within a pn junction. The potential wells may be quantum wells. The semiconductor device is typically an LED, and may be a white or near-white light LED. The semiconductor device may additionally comprise a third potential well not located within a pn junction. The semiconductor device may additionally comprise absorbing layers surrounding or closely or immediately adjacent to the second or third quantum wells. In addition, graphic display devices and illumination devices comprising the semiconductor device according to the present invention are provided. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor device comprising a first potential well located within a pn junction that emits light at a first wavelength when the pn junction is biased, a second potential well that emits light at a second wavelength in response to an absorption of at least a portion of light at the first wavelength, and a first absorbing layer closely adjacent to the second potential well and having a band gap energy less than or equal to a first transition energy of the first potential well and greater than a second transition energy of the second potential well. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the absorbing layer is immediately adjacent to said second potential well. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The semiconductor device according to claim 2 wherein said first potential well is a quantum well and wherein said second potential well is a quantum well. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The semiconductor device according to claim 3 which is an LED. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The semiconductor device according to claim 2 which is an LED. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1 additionally comprising a third potential well that emits light at a third wavelength in response to an absorption of at least a portion of light at the first wavelength. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The semiconductor device according to claim 6 additionally comprising a second absorbing layer immediately adjacent to said third potential well and having a band gap energy less than or equal to the first transition energy and greater than a third transition energy of the third potential well. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The semiconductor device according to claim 7 wherein said first potential well is a quantum well, wherein said second potential well is a quantum well, and wherein said third potential well is a quantum well. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The semiconductor device according to claim 8 which is an LED. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The semiconductor device according to claim 7 which is an LED. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The semiconductor device according to claim 7 wherein said first transition energy corresponds to green, blue or violet wavelength visible light, wherein said second transition energy corresponds to yellow, green or blue wavelength visible light, wherein said third transition energy corresponds to red, orange or yellow wavelength visible light. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A liquid crystal display comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein said first, second and third transition energies are matched to the color filters of the liquid crystal display. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The semiconductor device according to claim 7 wherein said first transition energy corresponds to blue or violet wavelength visible light, wherein said second transition energy corresponds to yellow or green wavelength visible light, wherein said third transition energy corresponds to red or orange wavelength visible light. ### Claim 14 (depends on 6) The semiconductor device according to claim 6 wherein said first potential well is a quantum well, wherein said second potential well is a quantum well, and wherein said third potential well is a quantum well. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The semiconductor device according to claim 14 which is an LED. ### Claim 16 (depends on 6) The semiconductor device according to claim 6 which is an LED. ### Claim 17 (depends on 6) The semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein said third potential well is not within the pn junction. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1 wherein said first potential well is a quantum well and wherein said second potential well is a quantum well. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The semiconductor device according to claim 18 which is an LED. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1 which is an LED. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1 wherein said first transition energy corresponds to ultraviolet wavelength light and wherein said second transition energy corresponds to visible wavelength light. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1 wherein said first transition energy corresponds to visible wavelength light and wherein said second transition energy corresponds to infrared wavelength light. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) A graphic display device comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 1. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) An illumination device comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 1. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1 which is a magenta-emitting LED. ### Claim 26 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1 which is a cyan-emitting LED. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) A liquid crystal display comprising the semiconductor device according to claim 1. ### Claim 28 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said second potential well is not within the pn junction. ### Claim 29 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said first potential well comprises a III-V compound and said second potential well comprises a II-VI compound. ### Claim 30 (depends on 1) The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein said second potential well comprises a Cd(Mg)ZnSe alloy.