Electroluminescent edge-emitting diode comprising a light reflector in a groove

Claim 1

An electroluminescent edge-emitting diode comprising: a body of semiconductor material having a P-N junction, a light-emitting surface substantially perpendicular to the P-N junction, a surface opposite the emitting surface, a contacting surface parallel to the P-N junction, two sides which are substantially parallel to each other, substantially perpendicular to the P-N junction and emitting surface; a single metal contact on a portion of the contacting surface spaced from the sides and adjacent the emitting surface, said contact extending from the emitting surface a distance no more than one-quarter the distance from the emitting surface to the opposite surface; an insulating layer on the contacting surface except for that portion of the contacting surface on which is the metal contact; and a groove in the contacting surface of the body, said groove extending across the body substantially parallel to the emitting surface and being adjacent the metal contact at a distance from the emitting surface equal to the distance the metal contact extends from the emitting surface, said groove being spaced from the opposite surface, said groove extending into the body a distance so as to cross the P-N junction, and means at a surface of the groove adjacent the metal contact for reflecting light generated in the body toward the emitting surface.