# US 9,040,324 B2 · Semiconductor light-emitting device, lighting instrument employing the same and process for production of the semiconductor light-emitting device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,040,324 B2 - Document ID: US9040324B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/168,030 - Filed: 2014-01-30 - Published: 2014-05-29 - Granted: 2015-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2010-03-10 - Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba - Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba - Inventors: Akira Fujimoto; Ryota Kitagawa; Eishi Tsutsumi; Koji Asakawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9040324B2 ## CPC - H10H 20/855: Optical field-shaping means, e.g. lenses - H10H 20/831: characterised by their shape - H10H 20/833: Transparent materials - H10H 20/84: Coatings, e.g. passivation layers or antireflective coatings - H10H 20/8316: {Multi-layer electrodes comprising at least one discontinuous layer} - H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS ## Abstract A semiconductor light-emitting device according to the embodiment includes a substrate, a compound semiconductor layer, a metal electrode layer provided with particular openings, a light-extraction layer, and a counter electrode. The light-extraction layer has a thickness of 20 to 120 nm and covers at least partly the metal part of the metal electrode layer; or otherwise the light-extraction layer has a rugged structure and covers at least partly the metal part of the metal electrode layer. The rugged structure has projections so arranged that their summits are positioned at intervals of 100 to 600 nm, and the heights of the summits from the surface of the metal electrode layer are 200 to 700 nm. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for production of a semiconductor light-emitting device, comprising the steps of: forming a compound semiconductor layer on a first side of a substrate; forming a metal electrode layer on said compound semiconductor layer, a thickness of said metal electrode layer being not less than 10 nm but not more than 50 nm, and said metal electrode layer including: a continuous metal part, any two point-positions in said continuous metal part being continuously connected without breaks; and a plurality of openings penetrating through said metal electrode layer and having a circle-equivalent diameter of not less than 10 nm but less than 5 μm; forming a light-extraction layer including a dielectric film on said metal electrode layer, said light-extraction layer covering at least a portion of said continuous metal part and having a thickness of not less than 20 nm but not more than 120 nm; and forming a counter electrode layer on said substrate on a second side opposite to said compound semiconductor layer; wherein said step of forming said metal electrode layer further comprises the sub-steps of: forming a metal thin layer, coating at least one part of said metal thin layer with a composition containing a block copolymer, to form a block copolymer film, causing phase separation of said block copolymer to form microdomains in the form of a dot pattern, and etching said metal thin layer by use of said dot-patterned microdomains as an etching mask, to form said metal electrode layer provided with openings. ### Claim 2 A process for production of a semiconductor light-emitting device, comprising the steps of: forming a compound semiconductor layer on a first side of a substrate; forming a metal electrode layer on said compound semiconductor layer, a thickness of said metal electrode layer being not less than 10 nm but not more than 50 nm, and said metal electrode layer including: a continuous metal part, any two point-positions in said continuous metal part being continuously connected without breaks; and a plurality of openings penetrating through said metal electrode layer and having a circle-equivalent diameter of not less than 10 nm but less than 5 μm; forming a light-extraction layer including a dielectric film on said metal electrode layer, said light-extraction layer covering at least a portion of said continuous metal part and having a thickness of not less than 20 nm but not more than 120 nm; and forming a counter electrode layer on said substrate on a second side opposite to said compound semiconductor layer; wherein said step of forming said metal electrode layer further comprises the sub-steps of: forming a metal thin layer, preparing a stamper whose surface has a fine relief pattern corresponding to the shape of the metal electrode layer intended to be formed, transferring a resist pattern onto at least one part of said metal thin layer by use of said stamper, and forming openings on said metal thin layer by use of said resist pattern as an etching mask. ### Claim 3 A semiconductor light-emitting device comprising a substrate, a compound semiconductor layer formed on one surface of said substrate, a metal electrode layer which is formed on said compound semiconductor layer and whose thickness is not less than 10 nm but not more than 50 nm, a light-extraction layer which is formed on said metal electrode layer and which has a fine rugged structure, and a counter electrode formed on the other surface of said substrate; wherein said metal electrode layer comprises a metal part so continuous that any pair of point-positions therein is continuously connected without breaks, and plural openings which penetrate through said metal electrode layer and whose circle-equivalent diameter is not less than 10 nm but less than 5 μm; and said light-extraction layer covers at least partly the metal part of said metal electrode layer, and the rugged structure thereof comprises projections so arranged that their summits are positioned at intervals of not less than 100 nm but not more than 600 nm and the heights of the summits from the surface of said metal electrode layer are not less than 200 nm but not more than 700 nm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein said metal electrode layer mainly contains Ag or Au and further contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of Al, Zn, Zr, Si, Ge, Pt, Rh, Ni, Pd, Cu, Sn, C, Mg, Cr, Te, Se and Ti. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein said light-extraction layer is a dielectric film or a transparent electroconductive film. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein said light-extraction layer has a refractive index of not less than 1.8 but not more than 2.5. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein said metal electrode layer occupies an area of 1 mm2 or more. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein said metal electrode layer keeps in ohmic contact with said compound semiconductor layer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein said metal electrode layer has a sheet resistance of 100/□ or less. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein said metal electrode layer has a light-transmittance of 10% or more at the wavelength of luminescence emitted from said compound semiconductor layer. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) A lighting instrument comprising the semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 3. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) A process for production of the semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 3, comprising the steps of: forming a compound semiconductor layer on a substrate, forming a metal electrode layer on said compound semiconductor layer, forming a light-extraction layer on said metal electrode layer, and forming a counter electrode layer on said substrate on the side opposite to said compound semiconductor layer; wherein said step of forming a metal electrode layer further comprises the sub-steps of: forming a metal thin layer, coating at least one part of said metal thin layer with a composition containing a block copolymer, to form a block copolymer film, causing phase separation of said block copolymer to form microdomains in the form of a dot pattern, and etching said metal thin layer by use of said dot-patterned microdomains as an etching mask, to form said metal electrode layer provided with openings. ### Claim 13 (depends on 3) A process for production of the semiconductor light-emitting device according to claim 3, comprising the steps of: forming a compound semiconductor layer on a substrate, forming a metal electrode layer on said compound semiconductor layer, forming a light-extraction layer on said metal electrode layer, and forming a counter electrode layer on said substrate on the side opposite to said compound semiconductor layer; wherein said step of forming a metal electrode layer further comprises the sub-steps of: forming a metal thin layer, preparing a stamper whose surface has a fine relief pattern corresponding to the shape of the metal electrode layer intended to be formed, transferring a resist pattern onto at least one part of said metal thin layer by use of said stamper, and forming openings on said metal thin layer by use of said resist pattern as an etching mask.