Surface-Emitting Element Oxide Tapering for Crack Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surface-emitting elements experience cracks due to the oxide confinement layer during driving and/or mounting, which affects electro-optical characteristics and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A surface-emitting element with a non-oxidized region surrounded by an oxidized region having multiple tapered portions, where the thickness decreases toward inner peripheral ends, and the taper angles are strategically designed to alleviate stress concentrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an oxide confinement layer with a uniformly thick oxidized region is used, then current confinement is improved, but stress concentration occurs during driving and mounting causing cracks
Solution Approach 1:
The oxidized region is designed with spatially varying thickness: thicker at outer peripheral portions and thinner at inner peripheral portions. This local quality variation allows the structure to better distribute and alleviate stress concentrations during driving and mounting operations, preventing cracks while maintaining current confinement functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The oxidized region is segmented into multiple portions with different thickness characteristics. Specifically, it includes outer peripheral portions with greater thickness and inner peripheral portions with lesser thickness, creating a segmented thickness profile that optimizes stress distribution across different regions of the oxide confinement layer.
2Reliability
If the oxidized region thickness is increased to improve current confinement, then electro-optical characteristics are improved, but stress concentration and crack occurrence increase
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the oxidized region are assigned different thicknesses to balance two competing requirements: thicker regions provide better current confinement for improved electro-optical characteristics, while thinner regions reduce stress concentration to prevent cracks. This local quality approach optimizes both performance and reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
To provide a surface-emitting element capable of suppressing occurrence of cracks due to an oxide confinement layer during driving and/or mounting. A surface-emitting element according to the present technology includes a first structure including a first semiconductor structure, a second structure stacked with the first structure and including a second semiconductor structure, and a third structure arranged between the first and second structures and including a light-emitting layer, in which an oxide confinement layer is provided between a surface of the first structure on a side opposite a light-emitting layer side and the light-emitting layer and/or between a surface of the second structure on a side opposite the light-emitting layer side and the light-emitting layer, the oxide confinement layer including a non-oxidized region, and an oxidized region surrounding at least a part of the non-oxidized region, and the oxidized region has a plurality of tapered portions whose thickness decreases toward inner peripheral ends. With the surface-emitting element according to the present technology, a surface-emitting element capable of suppressing occurrence of cracks due to an oxide confinement layer during driving and/or mounting can be provided.