Patent ID: 8669564

Claim:
A light emitting device comprising: a first body of a semiconductor material; a junction in the first body formed between a first region of the first body and a second region of the first body, the first region being of a first doping kind of a first concentration and the second region being of a second doping kind of a second concentration; the first body comprising a third region of the second doping kind of a third concentration, and being spaced from the first region by the second region, so that the second region is sandwiched between the first region and the third region; a second body of an isolation material immediately adjacent at least part of the second region, the second body at least partially encapsulating the first body, so that when the device is viewed in transverse cross section, the second body at least partially borders spaced sides of the second region of the first body, or at least partially encircles at least part of the second region of the first body; a terminal arrangement connected to the first body and arranged to reverse bias the junction into a breakdown mode; and the device being configured such that a depletion region associated with the junction extends through the second region of the first body and reaches the third region of the first body, before the junction enters the breakdown mode.