Electron-leakage-related low-temperature light emission efficiency behavior in GaN-based blue light-emitting diodes

Abstract

The typical light emission efficiency behaviors of InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well (MQW) blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) grown on c-plane sapphire substrates are characterized by pulsed current operation mode in the temperature range 40 to 300 K. At temperatures lower than 80 K, the emission efficiency of the LEDs decreases approximately as an inverse square root relationship with drive current. We use an electron leakage model to explain such efficiency droop behavior; that is, the excess electron leakage into the p-side of the LEDs under high forward bias will significantly reduce the injection possibility of holes into the active layer, which in turn leads to a rapid reduction in the radiative recombination efficiency in the MQWs. Combining the electron leakage model and the quasi-neutrality principle in the p-type region, we can readily derive the inverse square root dependent function between the light emission efficiency and the drive current. It appears that the excess electron leakage into the p-type side of the LEDs is primarily responsible for the low-temperature efficiency droop behavior.