Patent ID: 8368092

Claim:
A thin-film LED comprising: an active layer, which emits electromagnetic radiation in a main radiation direction; a current expansion layer, which is disposed downstream of the active layer in the main radiation direction and is made of a first nitride compound semiconductor material; a main area, through which the electromagnetic radiation emitted in the main radiation direction is coupled out; and a first contact layer arranged on the main area, wherein a transverse conductivity of the current expansion layer is increased by formation of a two-dimensional electron gas, wherein at least one layer made of a second nitride compound semiconductor material having a larger electronic band gap than the first nitride compound semiconductor material is sandwiched in the current expansion layer to form the two-dimensional electron gas in the current expansion layer, wherein the first and second nitride compound semiconductor materials are n-doped, and wherein the at least one layer made of the second nitride compound semiconductor material is n-doped in a central region sandwiched between two interface regions each which adjoin the current expansion layer on respective sides of the central region, the second nitride compound semiconductor material being n-doped in the two interface regions which adjoin the current expansion layer, an n-type dopant concentration in said two interface regions being higher than an n-type dopant concentration in the central region of the at least one layer made of the second nitride compound semiconductor material.