ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT EMITTING DIODES WITH TUNNEL JUNCTION

摘要

An example ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diode (LED) is described herein. The UV LED can include an n-doped contact region, an active region configured to emit UV light that is arranged between an n-doped region and a p-doped region, and a tunnel junction. The tunnel junction is arranged between the n-doped contact region and the p-doped region. In addition, the tunnel junction can include a heavily p-doped region, a degenerately n-doped region, and a semiconductor region arranged between the heavily p-doped region and the degenerately n-doped region. Each of the heavily p-doped region and the degenerately n-doped region has a gradually varied material energy bandgap to reduce respective depletion barriers within the heavily p-doped region and the degenerately n-doped region.