US4339689A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Light emitting diode and method of making the same
Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
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Filing: 1980-01-21
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Granted: 1982-07-13
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Expires: 2000-01-21
Abstract
Abstract A light-emitting diode is comprised of: a semiconductor active layer, a semiconductor first clad layer formed on a surface of said semiconductor active layer, and a protrusion formed unitarily on a surface of said first clad layer for facing an input end of a light guide for light coupling therewith. A method of manufacturing the light emitting diode is comprised of the steps of forming a recess on one face of a semiconductor substrate, forming a semiconductor first clad layer on the abovementioned face of the semiconductor substrate, and selectively etching the substrate from the other face thereof so as to form a through-hole reaching said recess on said one face of the semiconductor substrate, thereby exposing at least a protrusion of said semiconductor first clad layer formed in said recess.
Inventors
- 👤 Haruyoshi Yamanaka
- 👤 Masaru Kazumura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 08:18
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10H; H10H20/00; H10H20/80; H10H20/81; H10H20/819; G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/24; G02B6/42; G02B6/4201; G02B6/4204; G02B6/4206; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/928
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
93 words
A light emitting diode having an improved surface for coupling with a light guide, comprising: a semiconductor active layer, a semiconductor first clad layer formed on a surface of said semiconductor active layer; a protrustion formed unitarily on a surface of said first clad layer for facing an input end of said light guide to effect light coupling therewith, and wherein a depth X measured from the surface of said clad layer to a light emitting region of said clad layer and a radius R of said protrusion have a relationship of 0<X/R≦0.6.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
93 words
A light emitting diode having an improved surface for coupling with a light guide, comprising: a semiconductor active layer, a semiconductor first clad layer formed on a surface of said semiconductor active layer; a protrustion formed unitarily on a surface of said first clad layer for facing an input end of said light guide to effect light coupling therewith, and wherein a depth X measured from the surface of said clad layer to a light emitting region of said clad layer and a radius R of said protrusion have a relationship of 0<X/R≦0.6.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
A light emitting diode in accordance with claim 1, wherein said light guide is an optical fiber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
A light emitting diode in accordance with claim 1, or 2 wherein said protrusion forms a light converging lens.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A light emitting diode in accordance with claim 1, or 2 wherein said protrusion is of a hemispherical shape.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
A light emitting diode in accordance with claim 1, or 2 wherein said semiconductor first clad layer is a Ga 1-x Al x As layer (0<x≦1) of n-type conductivity and said active layer is a Ga 1-y Al y As layer (0≦y<x) of p-type conductivity.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
A light emitting diode in accordance with claim 5, which further comprises a third layer of Ga 1-x' Al x' As (y<x'≦1) of p-type conductivity on the rear surface of said active layer and a fourth layer of GaAs of p-type conductivity on the rear surface of said third layer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
A light emitting diode in accordance with claim 1, or 2 wherein a substrate having a through-hole is provided on the surface of said first clad layer in such a manner that said protrusion is exposed in said through-hole.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
A light emitting diode in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein the radius of said protrusion is smaller than that of the end face of the light guide.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
A light emitting diode in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein the radius of said protrusion is smaller than that of the core of the light guide.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
141 words
A light emitting diode formed by the method comprising the steps of: forming a recess of a semi-spherical shape on one face of a semiconductor substrate, forming a semiconductor first clad layer on the above-mentioned face of the semiconductor substrate, forming a semiconductor active layer on said semiconductor first clad layer, and selectively etching the substrate from the other face thereof so as to form a through-hole reaching said recess on said one face of the semiconductor substrate, thereby to expose at least a protrusion of said semiconductor first clad layer formed in said recess, wherein the forming of said recess is made in such a manner that a depth X measured from the center of a hemisphere of said protrusion to a light emitting region and a radius R of the hemisphere of said protrustion have a relationship of 0<X/R≦0.6.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
141 words
A light emitting diode formed by the method comprising the steps of: forming a recess of a semi-spherical shape on one face of a semiconductor substrate, forming a semiconductor first clad layer on the above-mentioned face of the semiconductor substrate, forming a semiconductor active layer on said semiconductor first clad layer, and selectively etching the substrate from the other face thereof so as to form a through-hole reaching said recess on said one face of the semiconductor substrate, thereby to expose at least a protrusion of said semiconductor first clad layer formed in said recess, wherein the forming of said recess is made in such a manner that a depth X measured from the center of a hemisphere of said protrusion to a light emitting region and a radius R of the hemisphere of said protrustion have a relationship of 0<X/R≦0.6.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
51 words
A light emitting diode formed in accordance with claim 10, wherein said first clad layer is an epitaxial growth layer of Ga 1-x Al x As (0<x≦1) of n-type conductivity, on which a semiconductor active layer of Ga 1-y Al y As (0≦y<x) is subsequently formed by sequential epitaxial growth method.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
A light emitting diode formed in accordance with claim 11, wherein a Ga 1-x' Al x' As layer (y<x'≦1) of p-type conductivity and a GaAs layer of p-type conductivity are subsequently formed by sequential epitaxial growth method on said active layer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
94 words
A light emitting diode having an improved surface for coupling with a light guide, comprising: a semiconductor active layer, a semiconductor first clad layer formed on a surface of said semiconductor active layer, a hemispherical protrusion formed unitarily on a surface of said first clad layer for facing an input end of said light guide to effect light coupling therewith, wherein a depth X measured from the center of the hemisphere of said protrusion to a light emitting region and a radius R of the hemisphere of said protrustion have a relationship of 0<X/R≦0.6.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
94 words
A light emitting diode having an improved surface for coupling with a light guide, comprising: a semiconductor active layer, a semiconductor first clad layer formed on a surface of said semiconductor active layer, a hemispherical protrusion formed unitarily on a surface of said first clad layer for facing an input end of said light guide to effect light coupling therewith, wherein a depth X measured from the center of the hemisphere of said protrusion to a light emitting region and a radius R of the hemisphere of said protrustion have a relationship of 0<X/R≦0.6.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
39 words
A light emitting diode in accordance with claim 13, wherein a substrate having a conic through-hole is provided on the surface of said first clad layer in such a manner that said protrusion is exposed in said conic through-hole.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3981023A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1985-07-12 | 1986-01-11 | 1986-07-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-07-12 | 1990-01-11 | 1990-07-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-07-12 | 1994-01-11 | 1994-07-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |