US Patent 7608852 - Strained nanowire light emitter

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7608852.html

Strained silicon is used to increase the switching speed of semiconductor devices. This patent from Samsung teaches that using strained silicon nanowires can also improve ohmic contacts and enhance light emission efficiency for laser diodes and LEDs. Claim 1 reads:

1. A luminous device, comprising:

a light emitting layer; and

a first electrode and a second electrode each connected to the light emitting layer,

wherein the light emitting layer is a strained nanowire and the strained nanowire has a lattice constant that increases in a lengthwise direction thereof compared to a non-strained nanowire.