A. V. Sakharov

Carrier transport and emission efficiency in InGaN quantum-dot based light-emitting diodes

We present a study of blue III-nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with multiple quantum well (MQW) and quantum dot (QD) active regions (ARs), comparing experimental and theoretical results. The LED samples were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, utilizing growth interruption in the hydrogen/nitrogen atmosphere and variable reactor pressure to control the AR microstructure. Realistic configuration of the QD AR implied in simulations was directly extracted from HRTEM characterization of the grown QD-based structures. Multi-scale 2D simulations of the carrier transport inside the multiple QD AR have revealed a non-trivial pathway for carrier injection into the dots. Electrons and holes are found to penetrate deep into the multi-layer AR through the gaps between individual QDs and get into the dots via their side edges rather than via top and bottom interfaces. This enables a more homogeneous carrier distribution among the dots situated in different layers than among the laterally uniform quantum well (QWs) in the MQW AR. As a result, a lower turn-on voltage is predicted for QD-based LEDs, as compared to MQW ones. Simulations did not show any remarkable difference in the efficiencies of the MQW and QD-based LEDs, if the same recombination coefficients are utilized, i.e. a similar crystal quality of both types of LED structures is assumed. Measurements of the current-voltage characteristics of LEDs with both kinds of the AR have shown their close similarity, in contrast to theoretical predictions. This implies the conventional assumption of laterally uniform QWs not to be likely an adequate approximation for the carrier transport in MQW LED structures. Optical characterization of MQW and QD-based LEDs has demonstrated that the later ones exhibit a higher efficiency, which could be attributed to better crystal quality of the grown QD-based structures. The difference in the crystal quality explains the recently observed correlation between the growth pressure of LED structures and their efficiency and should be taken into account while further comparing performances of MQW and QD-based LEDs. In contrast to experimental results, our simulations did not reveal any advantages of using QD-based ARs over the MQW ones, if the same recombination constants are assumed for both cases. This fact demonstrates importance of accounting for growth-dependent factors, like crystal quality, which may limit the device performance. Nevertheless, a more uniform carrier injection into multi-layer QD ARs predicted by modeling may serve as the basis for further improvement of LED efficiency by lowering carrier density in individual QDs and, hence, suppressing the Auger recombination losses.

Influence of electromechanical coupling on optical properties of InGaN quantum-dot based light-emitting diodes

The impact of electromechanical coupling on optical properties of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with InGaN/GaN quantum-dot (QD) active regions is studied by numerical simulations. The structure, i.e. the shape and the average In content of the QDs, has been directly derived from experimental data on out-of-plane strain distribution obtained from the geometric-phase analysis of a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image of an LED structure grown by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy. Using continuum [Formula: see text] calculations, we have studied first the lateral and full electromechanical coupling between the QDs in the active region and its impact on the emission spectrum of a single QD located in the center of the region. Our simulations demonstrate the spectrum to be weakly affected by the coupling despite the strong common strain field induced in the QD active region. Then we analyzed the effect of vertical coupling between vertically stacked QDs as a function of the interdot distance. We have found that QCSE gives rise to a blue-shift of the overall emission spectrum when the interdot distance becomes small enough. Finally, we compared the theoretical spectrum obtained from simulation of the entire active region with an experimental electroluminescence (EL) spectrum. While the theoretical peak emission wavelength of the selected central QD corresponded well to that of the EL spectrum, the width of the latter one was determined by the scatter in the structures of various QDs located in the active region. Good agreement between the simulations and experiment achieved as a whole validates our model based on realistic structure of the QD active region and demonstrates advantages of the applied approach.

Room temperature exciton-polariton resonant reflection and suppressed absorption in periodic systems of InGaN quantum wells

We studied the optical properties of periodic InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well systems with different numbers of periods. A resonant increase in the optical reflection and simultaneous suppression of the optical absorption have been revealed experimentally at room temperature when the Bragg and exciton resonances were tuned to each other. Numerical modeling with a single set of parameters gave a quantitatively accurate fit of the experimental reflection and transmission spectra in a wide wavelength range and various angles of the light incidence. The model included both exciton resonance and non-resonant band-to-band transitions in the InGaN quantum wells, as well as Rayleigh light scattering in the GaN buffer layer. The analysis also involved x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence data. It allowed us to determine the key parameters of the structure. In particular, the radiative broadening of the InGaN QW excitons was evaluated as 0.20 ± 0.02 meV.

Realistic model of LED structure with InGaN quantum-dots active region

We report on numerical simulations of quantum-dot heterostructures derived from experimental high-resolution transmission electron microscopy results. A real sample containing large InGaN islands with size of ten of nm and non-uniform In content is analyzed. The three-dimensional models for the quantum dots have been directly extrapolated from experimental results by a numerical algorithm. We show electromechanical, continuum k→ · p→, empirical tight-binding and optical calculations for these realistic structures, which present a very good agreement if compared with experimental measurements, implying that the use of realistic structures can provide significant improvements into the modeling and the understanding of quantum-dot nanostructures.

Monolithic white LEDs: Approaches, technology, design

The results of investigations of monolithic white InGaAlN LEDs with an active region containing several thin InGaN layers, emitting in the range from blue to yellow-green, and separated by short-period InGaN/GaN superlattices, are presented. The influence of the growth conditions and layer sequence in the active region on the optical properties of monolithic white LEDs was studied with the aim of controlling their color parameters.

InAlN/AlN/GaN heterostructures for high electron mobility transistors

The results of development of InAlN/AlN/GaN heterostructures, grown on sapphire substrates by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition, and high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) based on them are presented. The dependencies of the InAlN/AlN/GaN heterostructure properties on epitaxial growth conditions were investigated. The optimal indium content and InAlN barrier layer thicknesses of the heterostructures for HEMT s were determined. The possibility to improve the characteristics of HEMTs by in-situ passivation by Si3N4 thin protective layer deposited in the same epitaxial process was demonstrated. The InAlN/AlN/GaN heterostructure grown on sapphire substrate with diameter of 100 mm were obtained with sufficiently uniform distribution of sheet resistance. The HEMTs with saturation current of 1600 mA/mm and transconductance of 230 mS/mm are demonstrated.