Polarization-Selecting III-Nitride Elliptical Nanorod Light-Emitting Diodes Fabricated with Nanospherical-Lens Lithography

Abstract

Current-injected elliptical nanorod light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are demonstrated to emit polarized light with a bottom-emitting configuration. The polarization ratio of the electroluminescence reaches 3.17 when the length of the minor axis for the elliptical nanorods is as small as 150 nm. Electromagnetic simulation confirms the occurrence of the polarization selectivity especially when the length of the minor axis is down to 150 nm. Light with different polarization travels at different speeds in these asymmetric elliptical nanorods. Only one polarization experiences destructive interference between the light directly from the source and the reflected light by the top metal interface. A thin light-blocking layer is incorporated to increase the polarization selectivity. It is also not recommended to infill the gap with SiO2 since the polarization selectivity will be reduced. The proposed nanorod LEDs are fabricated using top-down nanofabrication approaches by combining nanospherical-lens lithography and two-step etch processes, which are both fully compatible with current semiconductor manufacturing processes. Results in this study will help to develop a chip-level polarization-selecting LED, which will be very useful for applications that require polarized light. It is especially beneficial for applications that are not suitable for using an external polarizer or require polarized light at the individual chip level.