SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT EMITTING DEVICE WITH LATERAL CURRENT INJECTION IN THE LIGHT EMITTING REGION

摘要

A semiconductor light emitting device includes an active region, an n-type region, and a p-type region comprising a portion that extends into the active region. The active region may include multiple quantum wells separated by barrier layers, and the p-type extension penetrates at least one of the quantum well layers. The extensions of the p-type region into the active region may provide uniform filling of carriers in the individual quantum wells of the active region by providing direct current paths into individual quantum wells. Such uniform filling may improve the operating efficiency at high current density by reducing the carrier density in the quantum wells closest to the bulk p-type region, thereby reducing the number of carriers lost to nonradiative recombination.