US Patent 7816700 - Nanorod array LED

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7816700.html

There have been a variety of proposals for using semiconductor nanowire arrays to improve the efficiency of LEDs. In some of these proposals the nanowires are embedded in a polymer matrix which acts to absorb light and reduce the emission efficiency. This patent from Seoul Opto Device Co. instead teaches forming the nanowire array with empty gaps between the nanowires. Claim 1 reads:

1. A light emitting diode, comprising:

an array of semiconductor nanorods positioned on a substrate; and

an upper electrode layer deposited on the array such that an empty space remains between adjacent ones of the nanorods,

wherein the upper electrode layer is continuously positioned on the array of semiconductor nanorods and the empty space, and

wherein the upper electrode layer comprises a transparent electrode material.