Implant Sciences Corp., based in Wakefield, Mass., has pioneered the use of ion implantation in the manufacture of gallium nitride blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
To embed ions into a material, scientists use a linear accelerator to create a beam of charged atoms or ions that is shaped and directed toward the surface of the device.
One advantage of the process is that it modifies the surface of a material without affecting its bulk properties, allowing the diode to maintain a level surface.
The company has refined the procedure to implant magnesium and silicon into adjacent regions of a gallium nitride film. LEDs are composed of gallium nitride film grown by metallorganic chemical vapor deposition.
The new process will simplify contacting procedures and increase device yields. It could also potentially double the brightness of blue and green LEDs.