InGaN Light-emitting Diodes Research Articles

High-Efficiency and Stable Emission Wavelength Red InGaN Light-Emitting Diodes with Porous Distributed Bragg Reflectors on Si Substrates

High-Efficiency and Stable Emission Wavelength Red InGaN Light-Emitting Diodes with Porous Distributed Bragg Reflectors on Si Substrates

Polarization-Doped InGaN LEDs and Laser Diodes for Broad Temperature Range Operation.

This work reports on the possibility of sustaining a stable operation of polarization-doped InGaN light emitters over a particularly broad temperature range. We obtained efficient emission from InGaN light-emitting diodes between 20 K and 295 K and from laser diodes between 77 K and 295 K under continuous wave operation. The main part of the p-type layers was fabricated from composition-graded AlGaN. To optimize injection efficiency and improve contact resistance, we introduced thin Mg-doped layers of GaN (subcontact) and AlGaN (electron blocking layer in the case of laser diodes). In the case of LEDs, the optical emission efficiency at low temperatures seems to be limited by electron overshooting through the quantum wells. For laser diodes, a limiting factor is the freeze-out of the magnesium-doped electron blocking layer for temperatures below 160 K. The GaN:Mg subcontact layer works satisfyingly even at the lowest operating temperature (20 K).

Vertical InGaN Light-Emitting Diode with Hybrid Distributed Bragg Reflectors.

A vertical-type InGaN light-emitting diode with a resonant cavity was demonstrated with a 9 μm aperture size and a short cavity formed by hybrid distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs). The approach involved designing epitaxial structures and utilizing an electrochemical etching process to convert heavily doped n-type gallium nitride (n+-GaN) layers into porous GaN layers as a porous-GaN DBR structure. Thirteen pairs of the conductive porous-GaN:Si/GaN:Si DBR structure provided a vertical current path in a vertical-type light-emitting diodes (LED) structure. The LED epitaxial layers were separated from sapphire for membrane-type LED structures through a laser lift-off process. During the free-standing membrane fabrication process, the dielectric DBR deposited on ITO/p-GaN:Mg layers was inverted from top to bottom, thereby establishing the concept of higher reflectivity for the bottom DBR compared to the porous-GaN DBR. The physical cavity length was reduced from about 2.3 μm for the LED membrane to 0.74 μm for the membrane-type LED with the embedded porous-GaN DBR structure. The divergent angles and line width of EL emission light were reduced from 124°/31.7 nm to 44°/3.3 nm due to the resonant cavity effect. The membrane-type LED structures with hybrid DBRs consisted of small divergent angles, narrow line width, and vertical current injection properties that have potential for directional emission light sources and vertical-cavity surface-emitting diode laser applications.

Investigation of Proton Radiation Effect on Indium Gallium Nitride Light Emitting Diodes

This paper investigates the effects of proton radiation on the electrical and optical properties of InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs). InGaN LEDs are known for their high brightness and efficiency, making them useful in various applications. However, they are vulnerable to radiation damage, which can degrade their performance over time. In this study, InGaN LEDs were exposed to proton radiation with the fluences of 1 × 1013 cm-2, 3 × 1013 cm-2 and 3 × 1014 cm-2 and their electrical and optical properties were measured before and after irradiation. Results show that proton radiation causes asignificant increase in the reverse leakage current. The light intensity also increases due to radiation. These changes are attributed to radiation-induced defects created in the LED material. The findings of this study provide important insights into the reliability and durability of InGaN LEDs in space and other radiation environments.

Improving luminescence response in ZnGeN2/GaN superlattices: defect reduction through composition control

Color-mixed (cm) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are theoretically the most efficient white light emitters, projected to improve white light luminous efficacy by 34% compared to incumbent phosphor converted LEDs. Since white light technology is pervasive and essential, small improvements in LED technology can result in energy savings. However, cm-LEDs are not yet realized due to poor efficacy in green and amber emitting materials, a spectral region colloquially referred to as the Green Gap. ZnGeN2 is nearly isostructural and closely lattice-matched to GaN and can be heteroepitaxially integrated with existing GaN devices; ZnGeN2/GaN hybrid structures are theorized to emit green (~530 nn) light with a spontaneous emission rate 4.6–4.9 times higher than traditional InGaN LEDs when incorporated into III-N LED structures. In this report we demonstrate the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of GaN and ZnGeN2 superlattices, an important step towards realizing multiple quantum well structures required for efficient LEDs. Elemental analysis, including atom probe tomography, shows that Ga and Ge are observed in both ZnGeN2 and GaN layers, degrading the structural uniformity. The lack of elemental abruptness also leads to increased defect luminescence and reabsorption of band edge luminescence. The source of unintentional Ga distributed throughout the ZnGeN2 layers was identified as excess flux escaping from around the closed MBE shutter. The source of unintentional Ge, which tended to incorporate as a single delta-doped layer in GaN, was identified as Ge riding along the cyclical metal-rich Ga adlayer used for high quality GaN, incorporating during subsequent nitrogen-rich growth step. Modifying the growth strategy results in improved structural quality, elemental abruptness, and luminescence response. This realization of structurally and elementally abrupt interfaces demonstrates the potential of heteroepitaxially integrated binary and ternary nitrides for energy-relevant devices.

Exploring an InGaN Micro-LED structure for optimum IQE operating on low current condition through simulation study

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are key components in display applications. The quantum efficiency of GaN/InGaN LEDs has been enhanced, leading to advancements in indoor and outdoor RGB LED display applications. White LED backlights are commonly used in displays due to the increased efficiency of InGaN LEDs. Despite efficiency, lifespan and image retention issues, OLED displays are utilized in high-end mobile phones to meet market expectations for screen response time and color saturation. Micro-LED RGB full-color displays have the potential to dominate the next-generation display market, driven by the increasing demands for resolution, power consumption and response time. Micro-LEDs are becoming smaller, reaching sizes of 50[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m or even smaller, to meet the high-resolution requirements of displays. They offer higher contrast, brightness and faster response speeds. This research utilizes numerical simulations to develop a model for radiative and nonradiative recombination in InGaN semiconductor materials. The aim is to investigate the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of various chip sizes, quantum well counts, well thicknesses and electron block layers under low current densities. The research reveals that the optimal structure is a single quantum well with an electron block layer (EBL), which can increase IQE from 53.85% to 80.9% at 0.01[Formula: see text]A/cm2 under low current density conditions, with a decrease in the number of quantum wells to one. The IQE efficiency improvement is 27.05%.

Efficient InGaN‐Based Red Light‐Emitting Diodes by Modulating Trench Defects

AbstractTrench defects in multi‐quantum wells (MQWs) have been considered as flawed structures that severely degraded the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) in the past. In this research, trench defects are innovatively utilized to enhance the efficiency of red InGaN LEDs. Specifically, dual‐color MQWs structures are applied to modulate trench defects. The upper red MQWs, grown on top of green MQWs with a high density of trench defects, exhibit a significant wavelength redshift of 68 nm and ≈ 6‐fold luminescence enhancement compared to those without intentionally introduced trench defects. Red InGaN LEDs with an IQE of 16.4% are achieved with this epitaxy growth strategy. Such wavelength redshift is attributed to the more indium incorporation due to the strain relaxation effect of trench defects. Moreover, the luminescence enhancement originates from the strong emission of the red MQWs inside trench defects, mainly attributed to strain relaxation and defect shielding by the wide and deep trenches. Achieving red emission by modulating trench defects is simple and reproducible without requiring additional substrate designs, which provides a novel way toward high‐efficiency red InGaN LEDs.

Recent Research on Indium-Gallium-Nitride-Based Light-Emitting Diodes: Growth Conditions and External Quantum Efficiency

The optimization of the synthesis of III-V compounds is a crucial subject in enhancing the external quantum efficiency of blue LEDs, laser diodes, quantum-dot solar cells, and other devices. There are several challenges in growing high-quality InGaN materials, including the lattice mismatch between GaN and InGaN causing stress and piezoelectric polarization, the relatively high vapor pressure of InN compared to GaN, and the low level of incorporation of indium in InGaN materials. Furthermore, carrier delocalization, Shockley–Read–Hall recombination, auger recombination, and electron leakage in InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are the main contributors to efficiency droop. The synthesis of high-quality III-V compounds can be achieved by optimizing growth parameters such as temperature, V/III ratios, growth rate, and pressure. By reducing the ammonia flow from 200 sccm to 50 sccm, increasing the growth rate from 0.1 to 1 m/h, and lowering the growth pressure from 250 to 150 Torr, the external quantum efficiency of III-V compounds can be improved at growth temperatures ranging from 800 °C to 500 °C. It is crucial to optimize the growth conditions to achieve high-quality materials. In addition, novel approaches such as adopting a microrod crystal structure, utilizing the piezo-phototronic effect, and depositing AlN/Al2O3 on top of the P-GaN and the electron-blocking layer can also contribute to improving the external quantum efficiency. The deposition of a multifunctional ultrathin layers of AlN/Al2O3 on top of the P-GaN can enhance the peak external quantum efficiency of InGaN blue LEDs by 29%, while the piezo-phototronic effect induced by a tensile strain of 2.04% results in a 183% increase in the relative electroluminescence intensity of the LEDs. This paper also discusses conventional and inverted p-i-n junction structures of LEDs.

Origins of the high-energy electroluminescence peaks in long-wavelength (∼495–685 nm) InGaN light-emitting diodes

We investigate the unexpected high-energy electroluminescence (EL) peaks observed in long-wavelength InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with ground state emission peaks between ∼495 and 685 nm by studying the EL spectra of LEDs with varying quantum well (QW) thicknesses and indium compositions. In addition to the ground state emission, two high-energy emission peaks were observed in the LEDs with thick QWs and high indium compositions. The less energetic high-energy emission peak (2.4–2.6 eV) is attributed to the optical transitions involving excited states. Factors influencing the excited state transitions, such as the QW thickness and indium compositions, were also examined by simulations to better understand the occurrence of these transitions. The more energetic high-energy emission peak (2.8–3.1 eV) originates from V-defect sidewalls and was verified through micro-photoluminescence measurements. Identification of the high-energy emission peaks is essential as it enables targeted epitaxial or growth optimizations to minimize or eliminate these undesirable emission peaks. This work demonstrates the importance of using thin QWs to suppress the unwanted high-energy emissions due to excited state transitions and V-defect sidewalls for long-wavelength InGaN LEDs.

InGaN monolithic full-color light-emitting diode developed by selective removal of active layers in a single p–n junction

We demonstrate a monolithic InGaN light-emitting diode (LED) that emits red, green, and blue (RGB) light. The proposed LED has a simple structure with stacking RGB light-emitting layers on n-GaN, wherein unnecessary layers were removed based on the desired emission color and stacking p-GaN layer. The electroluminescence characteristics of the LED indicated that the peak wavelengths at 20 mA are R: 632.9 nm, G: 519.0 nm, and B: 449.5 nm, and the external quantum efficiencies are R: 0.28%, G: 8.3%, and B: 0.84%. This structure can be manufactured using only semiconductor processes, thus rendering smaller and higher-resolution microdisplays possible.

Space‐confined growth of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals in mesoporous KIT‐6 and application in LEDs

AbstractAll‐inorganic CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, and I) perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have great application prospects in many fields due to their excellent photoelectric properties. However, CsPbX3 NCs are extremely sensitive to water, heat, light, and oxygen, which leads to dramatic photoluminescence quenching and seriously restricts their future commercial applications. Herein, a novel, simple one‐step solution strategy for synthesizing high‐quality CsPbBr3 NCs was reported. By the combination of the hot‐injection process with the mesoporous template confinement effect of the KIT‐6 matrix, the space‐confined growth of NCs was precisely achieved. The CsPbBr3 NCs encapsulated by KIT‐6 (CsPbBr3@KIT‐6 composite) exhibited a uniform size, a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of up to 82%, and a narrow full width at half‐maximum (FWHM) of 24 nm. Most importantly, CsPbBr3@KIT‐6 powder composites had dramatically enhanced light, thermal and water stability in comparison with colloidal CsPbBr3 NCs due to the dual protection of organic ligands and matrix templates. Ultimately, a white light‐emitting diode (LED) device was successfully fabricated by encapsulating a mixture of green‐emitting CsPbBr3@KIT‐6 composite and red‐emitting K2SiF6:Mn4+ phosphor onto a blue‐emitting InGaN LED chip. A color coordinate of (0.327, 0.337) and a wide color gamut of 128% NTSC well demonstrate their potential applications in lighting and display.

Effects of high-dose 80 MeV proton irradiation on the electroluminescent and electrical performance of InGaN light-emitting diodes

The paper reports on the degradation of InGaN/GaN Blue LED submitted to proton irradiation at 80 MeV and various fluences (4×1013 p cm−2 and 1×1014 p cm−2). After irradiation, we found a decrease in light output power and the external quantum efficiency with fluence. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements exhibited that the peak position at 400, 447 and 568 nm remained unchanged, only the peak intensity decreased. The intensity of the blue emission reduced by 75%, indicating that the active region degraded seriously; the intensity from In x Ga1-x N (x = 0.11) reduced more than two times in comparison with the blue emission, implying that proton irradiation affected In x Ga1-x N more seriously than InGaN/GaN MQWs. The degradation of LED is ascribed to the increase in the defect-related Shockley–Read–Hall recombination after 80 MeV proton irradiation with higher fluence.

Recent Progress in Long‐Wavelength InGaN Light‐Emitting Diodes from the Perspective of Epitaxial Structure

Over the last decades, continuous technological advancements have been made in III‐nitride light‐emitting diodes (LEDs), so that they are considered as a promising replacement of traditional light sources. With the emission wavelength covering the entire visible spectrum, InGaN LEDs find various applications such as solid‐state lightings, full‐color displays, and visible light communication. However, the quantum efficiency of InGaN LEDs suffers from a dramatic decline as the emission wavelength extends from blue to green–red region. This issue restrains the lighting and display applications based on the color‐mixing monolithic lighting source system. In this review, the recent breakthroughs in long‐wavelength InGaN LEDs, together with the challenges and approaches to realize high‐indium‐composition InGaN epilayers, are introduced. These cover the different epitaxial substrates, nucleation layers, and epitaxial structures, especially multiple quantum wells active region. The related studies are also discussed to improve the long‐wavelength LEDs performance from the aspect of crystal quality, growth orientation, carrier‐injection, and 3D nanostructures. Finally, current status and perspectives for future long‐wavelength LEDs development are proposed briefly.

In Situ AlGaN Interlayer for Reducing the Reverse Leakage Current of InGaN Light-Emitting Diodes

In Situ AlGaN Interlayer for Reducing the Reverse Leakage Current of InGaN Light-Emitting Diodes

High‐Efficiency InGaN Red Mini‐LEDs on Sapphire Toward Full‐Color Nitride Displays: Effect of Strain Modulation

AbstractInGaN red light emitting diode (LED) is one of the crucial bottlenecks that must be broken through to realize high‐resolution full‐color mini/micro‐LED displays. The efficiency of InGaN LEDs drops rapidly as the emission spectra go from blue/green to red range due to the poor quality of high‐indium‐content InGaN materials. Here, high‐performance InGaN red LEDs on sapphire grown by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition through strain modulation are reported. A composite buffer layer is proposed to increase the surface lattice constant of GaN and hence successfully enhances the indium incorporation efficiency of the following InGaN active layers. Consequently, a high‐efficiency InGaN red mini‐LED chip (mesa area: 100 × 200 µm2) with a peak wavelength of 629 nm and an external quantum efficiency of 7.4% is realized. Finally, a full‐color nitride mini‐LED display panel with 74.1% coverage of Rec.2020 color gamut by using the InGaN red mini‐LED chips is fabricated. The study signifies the great potentials of full‐nitrides high‐resolution full‐color mini/micro‐LED displays.

Broadband Near-Infrared Luminescence in Garnet Y3Ga3MgSiO12: Cr3+ Phosphors.

Broadband near-infrared (NIR) phosphors are the critical component of phosphor converted NIR light-emitting diode (LED) light sources. However, there are still a lack of NIR phosphors with excellent external quantum efficiency (EQE) and thermal stability. Here, we report a highly efficient broadband NIR phosphor Y3Ga3MgSiO12: Cr3+. The optimized phosphor yields an internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and an EQE of 79.9 and 33.7%, respectively. The integrated emission intensity still remains at 84.4% of that at room temperature when heated to 423 K. A broadband NIR LED lamp was made by combining as-prepared phosphor and a blue InGaN LED chip, which shows an output power of 89.8 mW with a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 17.1% driven at 525 mW input power. Our research provides a promising NIR phosphor with high efficiency broadband for the NIR light source.

Quantum Efficiency Improvement of InGaN Near Ultraviolet LED Design by Genetic Algorithm

A near-ultraviolet (367-nm) InGaN light-emitting diode (LED) with 5.75 nm quantum well depth was designed and both internal/external quantum efficiency (IQE/EQE) values were optimized considering the effects of non-radiative recombination rates and possible fabrica-tion errors. Firstly, the IQE of the design was enhanced by a genetic algorithm code which was developed particularly for this study. Distributed Bragg Reflectors and optional ultra-thin 1nm AlN interlayer were also used to increase overall light extraction efficiency. Then, alloy and doping concentration effects on wavelength-dependent optical and structural parameters were analyzed via the CASTEP software package based on density functional theory to pre-sent a more detailed and realistic optimization. The relatively great values of 42.6% IQE and 90.2% LEE were achieved. The final structure with 1.00 mm × 1.00 mm surface area requires only 200 mW input power to operate at 3.75 V.

Investigating defects in InGaN based optoelectronics: from material and device perspective

III-nitride optoelectronics have revolutionized solid-state lighting technology. However, non-radiative defects play a major bottleneck in determining the performance of InGaN-based optoelectronics devices. It becomes especially challenging when high indium is required to be incorporated to obtain emission at higher wavelength (>500 nm). In this research article, we are going to discuss our investigation on the origin of defects in InGaN-based optoelectronics devices from the material and device perspective and characterize them through various techniques. This article broadly consists of two parts. In the first part, we investigate defects in InGaN based optoelectronics from a material point of view. Here, we discuss the challenges in the growth of InGaN planar (2-dimensional) and nanowires (1-dimensional) with high indium (≥20%) incorporation using the plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE) technique. Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) has been performed to characterize these grown samples to assess their optical quality. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been employed to characterize the surface morphology of grown InGaN layers. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and scanning electron microcopy (SEM) are also used to characterize InGaN planar and nanowire samples grown under various process conditions. In the second part, we investigate the role of defects on InGaN optoelectronics from a device point of view. Here, we discuss the fabrication of InGaN multi-quantum well-based light emitting diodes (LEDs). Temperature-dependent current versus voltage measurements are carried out to investigate the role of defects on carrier dynamics under forward and reverse bias conditions. Frequency-dependent capacitance versus voltage (CV) and conductance versus voltage (GV) techniques are employed extensively to characterize defects in fabricated InGaN LEDs.

Tailoring the performance of GaN-based yellow light-emitting diodes

Efficient yellow InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been a challenge for the researchers. To achieve yellow emission, high indium composition is necessary. However, high indium composition comes with its own challenges. In our work, the performance of InGaN yellow light emitting diodes is improved by using quaternary (AlInGaN) quantum barriers and ternary (AlGaN) quantum barriers in the conventional InGaN/GaN LED. We show that employing AlGaN quantum barriers in the light-emitting diodes significantly increases the concentration of electrons as well as holes, resulting in a 47% increase in radiative recombination rate than the conventional yellow LED. Additionally, the efficiency droop is significantly reduced in our proposed LEDs.

Redistribution of carrier localization in InGaN-based light-emitting diodes for alleviating efficiency droop

We propose an efficient method for reducing efficiency droop in InGaN QWs by redistributing carrier localization via thermal annealing, which results in increased internal quantum efficiency (IQE) in this study. Entire structures of InGaN-based light-emitting diode (LED) were grown using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. After thermal annealing, the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the InGaN LED was gradually increased up to 900 °C, as confirmed by room-temperature macro-PL spectroscopy. The temperature-dependent PL spectra indicated that the In-rich InGaN cluster's local energy band was flattened by the thermal annealing treatment. Moreover, excitation power-dependent PL spectroscopy confirmed that redistribution of carrier localization in InGaN QWs alleviated the efficiency droop phenomenon. Furthermore, the flattened local energy band of the In-rich InGaN cluster and the increased carrier localization site implied improved IQE.