Patent ID: 7274041

Claim:
A radiation-emissive optoelectronic device fabricated from a crystalline material in which a parameter of a band structure characteristic of said crystalline material has been modified locally by introducing distortions on an atomic scale in the lattice structure of said crystalline material forming dislocation loops, and wherein a desired electronic or optoelectronic parameter of said device is obtained as a result of the modification of the band structure, said device comprising a junction formed, at least in part from a region of p-type indirect bandgap semiconductor material and/or a region of n-type indirect bandgap semiconductor material, wherein said junction incorporates a strain field, created by an array of dislocation loops effective, in operation of the device, to confine spatially, and thereby promote radiative recombination of charge carriers, wherein said array of dislocation loops has substantial spatial periodicity in at least one lateral direction of the junction.