Patents by Inventor Shuji Nakamura

Shuji Nakamura has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20200244036
    Abstract: A Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) including a light emitting III-nitride active region including quantum wells (QWs), wherein each of the quantum wells have a thickness of more than 8 nm, a cavity length of at least 7 ?, or at least 20 ?, where lambda is a peak wavelength of the light emitted from the active region, layers with reduced surface roughness, a tunnel junction intracavity contact. The VCSEL is flip chip bonded using In-Au bonding. This is the first report of a VCSEL capable of continuous wave operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Charles Forman, SeungGeun Lee, Erin C. Young, Jared Kearns, Steven P. DenBaars, James S. Speck, Shuji Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20200243334
    Abstract: A method for protecting a semiconductor film comprised of one or more layers during processing. The method includes placing a surface of the semiconductor film in direct contact with a surface of a protective covering, such as a separate substrate piece, that forms an airtight or hermetic seal with the surface of the semiconductor film, so as to reduce material degradation and evaporation in the semiconductor film. The method includes processing the semiconductor film under some conditions, such as a thermal annealing and/or controlled ambient, which might cause the semiconductor film's evaporation or degradation without the protective covering.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Christian J. Zollner, Michael Iza, James S. Speck, Shuji Nakamura, Steven P. DenBaars
  • Publication number: 20200212258
    Abstract: A gallium nitride (GaN) based light emitting diode (LED), wherein light is extracted through a nitrogen face (N-face) of the LED and a surface of the N-face is roughened into one or more hexagonal shaped cones. The roughened surface reduces light reflections occurring repeatedly inside the LED, and thus extracts more light out of the LED. The surface of the N-face is roughened by an anisotropic etching, which may comprise a dry etching or a photo-enhanced chemical (PEC) etching.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Tetsuo Fujii, Yan Gao, Evelyn L. Hu, Shuji Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10685835
    Abstract: A III-nitride tunnel junction with a modified p-n interface, wherein the modified p-n interface includes a delta-doped layer to reduce tunneling resistance. The delta-doped layer may be doped using donor atoms comprised of Oxygen (O), Germanium (Ge) or Silicon (Si); acceptor atoms comprised of Magnesium (Mg) or Zinc (Zn); or impurities comprised of Iron (Fe) or Carbon (C).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignees: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, KING ABDULAZIZ CITY FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (KACST)
    Inventors: Benjamin P. Yonkee, Erin C. Young, John T. Leonard, Tal Margalith, James S. Speck, Steven P. DenBaars, Shuji Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10660504
    Abstract: In a flexible tube insertion apparatus, at least one circuit determines whether an S-shape is formed in an insertion section based on a shape information of the insertion section detected by a detector, determines whether an intersection angle between an extension line of a central axis of the insertion section and a tangential line for the insertion section at an inflection point is enlarged or not based on the shape information, and determines whether or not the stiffness variable portions are provided in a position of the S-shape in the insertion section when it is determined that the S-shape is formed and the intersection angle is enlarged. A stiffness controller increases a stiffness of the stiffness variable portions included in the position of the S-shape in accordance with the determination of the circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Nakamura, Takeshi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10658557
    Abstract: A transparent light emitting diode (LED) includes a plurality of III-nitride layers, including an active region that emits light, wherein all of the layers except for the active region are transparent for an emission wavelength of the light, such that the light is extracted effectively through all of the layers and in multiple directions through the layers. Moreover, the surface of one or more of the III-nitride layers may be roughened, textured, patterned or shaped to enhance light extraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Shuji Nakamura, Steven P. DenBaars, Hirokuni Asamizu
  • Patent number: 10644213
    Abstract: A transparent light emitting diode (LED) includes a plurality of III-nitride layers, including an active region that emits light, wherein all of the layers except for the active region are transparent for an emission wavelength of the light, such that the light is extracted effectively through all of the layers and in multiple directions through the layers. Moreover, the surface of one or more of the III-nitride layers may be roughened, textured, patterned or shaped to enhance light extraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Shuji Nakamura, Steven P. DenBaars, Hirokuni Asamizu
  • Publication number: 20200100653
    Abstract: A flexible tube insertion device includes a flexible tube section, at least one variable stiffness unit, at least one state detector, and a stiffness controller. The flexible tube section is segmented along an axial direction into segments and configured to be inserted into an insertion target. The variable stiffness unit is configured to vary bending stiffness of the flexible tube section in units at least one segment. The state detector is configured to detect information relating to shape information of the flexible tube section. The stiffness controller is configured to cause the variable stiffness unit to reduce bending stiffness of a portion of the flexible tube section including a place where the flexible tube section is easy to bend in units of at least one segment based on the shape information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shuji NAKAMURA
  • Patent number: 10593854
    Abstract: A transparent light emitting diode (LED) includes a plurality of III-nitride layers, including an active region that emits light, wherein all of the layers except for the active region are transparent for an emission wavelength of the light, such that the light is extracted effectively through all of the layers and in multiple directions through the layers. Moreover, the surface of one or more of the III-nitride layers may be roughened, textured, patterned or shaped to enhance light extraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Shuji Nakamura, Steven P. DenBaars, Hirokuni Asamizu
  • Patent number: 10529892
    Abstract: A method for growth and fabrication of semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices, comprising identifying desired material properties for a particular device application, selecting a semipolar growth orientation based on the desired material properties, selecting a suitable substrate for growth of the selected semipolar growth orientation, growing a planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N template or nucleation layer on the substrate, and growing the semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures or devices on the planar semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N template or nucleation layer. The method results in a large area of the semipolar (Ga,Al,In,B)N thin films, heterostructures, and devices being parallel to the substrate surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignees: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Japan Science and Technology Agency
    Inventors: Robert M. Farrell, Jr., Troy J. Baker, Arpan Chakraborty, Benjamin A. Haskell, P. Morgan Pattison, Rajat Sharma, Umesh K. Mishra, Steven P. DenBaars, James S. Speck, Shuji Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20200000315
    Abstract: A flexible tube insertion apparatus includes: a flexible tube to be inserted into an insertion target body; a state detector to detect state information of the flexible tube relating to a shape of the flexible tube; and a bent formation determining section to determine whether first and second bent portions bent in different directions are formed on the flexible tube based on the state information. The flexible tube insertion apparatus further includes a shape changing section, arranged in the flexible tube, to actively change the shape of the flexible tube so that an angle at which a first virtual flat plane on which the first bent portion is formed and a second virtual flat plane on which the second bent portion is formed intersect becomes smaller, when the bent formation determining section determines that the first and second bent portions are formed on the flexible tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Takahashi, Ryo Tezuka, Shuji Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10517461
    Abstract: A flexible tube insertion apparatus includes an insertion section including a plurality of segments, a plurality of stiffness variable portions provided in the respective segments and configured to vary stiffness of the respective segments, and a state detector configured to detect a shape of the insertion section. The apparatus includes a state calculator configured to acquire a shape of a tube at a time when the insertion section advances into the tube, and configured to calculate a relative position of the segment to the tube, and a control device configured to control, based on the shape of the tube, the stiffness variable portion provided in the segment which is calculated the relative position to the tube by the state calculator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Nakamura, Takeshi Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20190374089
    Abstract: A The flexible tube insertion apparatus includes: a flexible tube section divided into one or more segments; one or more variable stiffness sections to change bending stiffness of the flexible tube section in a segment unit; a state detector to detect information on a bending state of the flexible tube section; a bend determination section to determine whether the flexible tube section bends based on the detected bending state; and a stiffness controller to control the bending stiffness of the flexible tube section in at least one segment unit by changing a bending stiffness value of the variable stiffness section based on information acquired from the bend determination section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shuji NAKAMURA
  • Patent number: 10495268
    Abstract: A white light emitting device includes an edge-emitting laser diode, such as a III-nitride laser diode, emitting light in a first wavelength range that is converted to light at a longer wavelength by a single crystal, ceramic or polycrystalline phosphor, such as a Ce:YAG single crystal phosphor, wherein the phosphor absorbs only some of the light emitted from the laser diode, such that a combination of remaining light emitted from the laser diode with the light at the longer wavelength emitted from the phosphor results in emission of high-intensity white light from the device. Reflectors on either side of the edge-emitting III-nitride laser diode reflect the light from both ends of the edge-emitting laser diode towards the phosphor. One or more sides of the phosphor may roughened, or a scattering layer may be added, to promote uniform color mixing of the emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Michael Cantore, Shuji Nakamura, Steven P. DenBaars
  • Patent number: 10485410
    Abstract: An flexible tube insertion apparatus includes a tubular insertion section including a bending portion and a flexible tube portion, variable stiffness sections to cause a change in a level of a bending stiffness of the flexible tube portion, a variable stiffness control section that controls the change in the bending stiffness by the variable stiffness sections; and a time setting section that sets a time period. The variable stiffness control section causes the bending stiffness of the variable stiffness sections to change in such a manner that the relationship of levels between the bending stiffness of adjacent variable stiffness sections is switched at the set time period when the variable stiffness control section determines that the flexible tube portion is passing through a flexure of the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Takahashi, Yuichi Ikeda, Shuji Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20190341206
    Abstract: A key switch device includes: an operation member to be depressed; a switch disposed below the operation member; a reaction force generating member that is provided between the operation member and the switch, performs elastic buckling deformation by depression of the operation member, gives a reaction force according to the elastic buckling deformation to the operation member; and a depression member that is provided between the operation member and the switch, and depresses the switch; wherein the reaction force generating member includes a supporter that supports the depression member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Applicant: FUJITSU COMPONENT LIMITED
    Inventors: Takeshi NISHINO, Shuji NAKAMURA, Akihiko TAKEMAE, Tamotsu KOIKE
  • Patent number: 10454010
    Abstract: A transparent light emitting diode (LED) includes a plurality of III-nitride layers, including an active region that emits light, wherein all of the layers except for the active region are transparent for an emission wavelength of the light, such that the light is extracted effectively through all of the layers and in multiple directions through the layers. Moreover, the surface of one or more of the III-nitride layers may be roughened, textured, patterned or shaped to enhance light extraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Shuji Nakamura, Steven P. DenBaars, Hirokuni Asamizu
  • Patent number: 10446714
    Abstract: A gallium nitride (GaN) based light emitting diode (LED), wherein light is extracted through a nitrogen face (N-face) of the LED and a surface of the N-face is roughened into one or more hexagonal shaped cones. The roughened surface reduces light reflections occurring repeatedly inside the LED, and thus extracts more light out of the LED. The surface of the N-face is roughened by an anisotropic etching, which may comprise a dry etching or a photo-enhanced chemical (PEC) etching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignees: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, JAPAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AGENCY
    Inventors: Tetsuo Fujii, Yan Gao, Evelyn L. Hu, Shuji Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10410806
    Abstract: A key switch device includes: an operation member to be depressed; a switch disposed below the operation member; a reaction force generating member that is provided between the operation member and the switch, performs elastic buckling deformation by depression of the operation member, gives a reaction force according to the elastic buckling deformation to the operation member; and a depression member that is provided between the operation member and the switch, and depresses the switch; wherein the reaction force generating member includes a supporter that supports the depression member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: FUJITSU COMPONENT LIMITED
    Inventors: Takeshi Nishino, Shuji Nakamura, Akihiko Takemae, Tamotsu Koike
  • Publication number: 20190273194
    Abstract: A transparent light emitting diode (LED) includes a plurality of III-nitride layers, including an active region that emits light, wherein all of the layers except for the active region are transparent for an emission wavelength of the light, such that the light is extracted effectively through all of the layers and in multiple directions through the layers. Moreover, the surface of one or more of the III-nitride layers may be roughened, textured, patterned or shaped to enhance light extraction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Publication date: September 5, 2019
    Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Shuji Nakamura, Steven P. DenBaars, Hirokuni Asamizu