Opto-electronic properties and light-emitting device application of widegap layered oxychalcogenides:: LaCuOCh (Ch = chalcogen) and La2CdO2Se2

Electronic and optical properties of widegap oxychalcogenides, LaCuOCh (Ch = chalcogen) and La2CdO2Se2, are reviewed with a focus on those relevant to their layered crystal structures, including high hole mobility, degenerate p-type conduction, room temperature exciton, and large third order optical nonlinearity. In particular, the widegap p-type metallic conduction was realized in Mg-doped LaCuOSe: the first demonstration among any class of widegap materials including GaN: Mg. Furthermore, we demonstrate the room temperature operation of a blue light-emitting diode using a pn hetero-junction composed of a LaCuOSe epilayer and an n-type amorphous InGaZn5O8. Those results strongly suggest that a series of the layered oxychalcogenides are applicable to the light-emitting layers in opto-electronic devices that operate in the ultraviolet-blue region as well as to transparent p-type conductors. (c) 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KG&A, Weinheim.