Patent ID: 8324637

Claim:
A high efficiency wide band gap semiconductor photonic device including a p-type confinement layer comprising: a first semiconductor layer having a first composition in metallic contact with and disposed between second and third semiconductor layers having compositions dissimilar to said first semiconductor layer, said second semiconductor layer being p-type, and said third semiconductor layer being n-type; and a tunnel junction, having a tunnel width and a resistance to tunneling, formed from said second, first and third semiconductor layers, adapted to permit charge carriers in said second semiconductor layer to transition into charge carriers having an opposite polarity, wherein a natural dipole associated with said dissimilar materials is used to form said tunnel junction such that said width is smaller than a width in said tunnel junction would be in the absence of said first semiconductor layer, wherein said tunnel junction comprises an impurity located in said second and third semiconductor layers near said tunnel junction forming band gap states within said width.