Forward and reverse current aging of GaN-based light-emitting diodes fabricated with Ag-based reflective electrodes

Abstract

In this study, the effects of forward and reverse current aging on the reliability characteristics of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fabricated with Ag-based reflective electrodes were investigated. The LEDs showed a noticeable degradation in output after forward current (100 mA) or reverse current (−0.1 mA) aging for 24 h. This could be due to the significantly increased leakage currents caused by disruptions of Ni/Ag/Pt reflective electrodes via Ag migration after forward current aging (causing surface leakage), or via electrode destruction near the V-defect region after reverse current aging (causing bulk leakage). Notably, this degradation behavior could be explained in terms of current crowding.