US Patent:
20030021318, Jan 30, 2003
Inventors:
Andrew Liao - San Jose CA, US
Ghulam Hasnain - Palo Alto CA, US
Chihping Kuo - Milpitas CA, US
Zhiqing Shi - San Jose CA, US
Minh Trieu - San Jose CA, US
International Classification:
H01S005/00
H01S003/08
Abstract:
A current confinement element that can be used in constructing light-emitting devices. The current confinement element includes a top layer and an aperture-defining layer. The top layer includes a top semiconducting material of a first conductivity type that is transparent to light. The aperture-defining layer includes an aperture region and a confinement region. The aperture region includes an aperture semiconducting material of the first conductivity type that is transparent to light. The confinement region surrounds the aperture region and includes a material that has been doped to provide a high resistance to the flow of current. In one embodiment of the invention, the confinement region includes a material that has been doped with impurities that increase the resistance of the material to a value greater than 5×10ohm-cm.