Jinchai Li

Hole injection and efficiency droop improvement in InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes by band-engineered electron blocking layer

A graded-composition electron blocking layer (GEBL) with aluminum composition increasing along the [0001] direction was designed for c-plane InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by employing the band-engineering. The simulation results demonstrated that such GEBL can effectively enhance the capability of hole transportation across the EBL as well as the electron confinement. Consequently, the LED with GEBL grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition exhibited lower forward voltage and series resistance and much higher output power at high current density as compared to conventional LED. Meanwhile, the efficiency droop was reduced from 34% in conventional LED to only 4% from the maximum value at low injection current to 200 A/cm2.

Hole transport improvement in InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes by graded-composition multiple quantum barriers

Graded-composition multiple quantum barriers (GQB) were designed and incorporated in c-plane InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) grown on c-plane sapphire substrate to improve hole transport and efficiency droop. The simulation of GQB LED design predicts enhancement of the hole transport in the active region at both low and high current densities. The fabricated LED with GQB structure exhibits lower series resistance and substantially reduced droop behavior of only 6% in comparison with 34% for conventional LED, supporting the improvement of hole transport in our design.

Efficiency droop alleviation in InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes by graded-thickness multiple quantum wells

InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with graded-thickness multiple quantum wells (GQW) was designed and grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The GQW structure, in which the well-thickness increases along [0001] direction, was found to have superior hole distribution as well as radiative recombination distribution by performing simulation modeling. Accordingly, the experimental investigation of electroluminescence spectrum reveals additional emission from the narrower wells within GQWs. Consequently, the efficiency droop can be alleviated to be about 16% from maximum at current density of 30 to 200 A/cm2, which is much smaller than that for conventional LED (32%). Moreover, the light output power was enhanced from 18.0 to 24.3 mW at 20 A/cm2.

Surface-plasmon-enhanced deep-UV light emitting diodes based on AlGaN multi-quantum wells

We report the development of complete structural AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with an aluminum thin layer for increasing light extraction efficiency. A 217% enhancement in peak photoluminescence intensity at 294 nm is observed. Cathodoluminescence measurement demonstrates that the internal quantum efficiency of the deep-UV LEDs coated with Al layer is not enhanced. The emission enhancement of deep-UV LEDs is attributed to the higher LEE by the surface plasmon-transverse magnetic wave coupling. When the proportion of the TM wave to the Al layer increases with the Al content in the AlxGa1-xN multiple quantum wells, i.e., the band edge emission energy, the enhancement ratio of the Al-coated deep-UV LEDs increases.

Top- and bottom-emission-enhanced electroluminescence of deep-UV light-emitting diodes induced by localised surface plasmons

We report localised-surface-plasmon (LSP) enhanced deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (deep-UV LEDs) using Al nanoparticles for LSP coupling. Polygonal Al nanoparticles were fabricated on the top surfaces of the deep-UV LEDs using the oblique-angle deposition method. Both the top- and bottom-emission electroluminescence of deep-UV LEDs with 279 nm multiple-quantum-well emissions can be effectively enhanced by the coupling with the LSP generated in the Al nanoparticles. The primary bottom-emission wavelength is longer than the primary top-emission wavelength. This difference in wavelength can be attributed to the substrate-induced Fano resonance effect. For resonance modes with shorter wavelengths, the radiation fraction directed back into the LEDs is largest in the direction that is nearly parallel to the surface of the device and results in total reflection and re-absorption in the LEDs.

Effect of the surface-plasmon–exciton coupling and charge transfer process on the photoluminescence of metal–semiconductor nanostructures

The effect of direct metal coating on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnO nanorods (NRs) has been investigated in detail in this work. The direct coating of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) induces remarkable enhancement of the surface exciton (SX) emissions from the ZnO NRs. Meanwhile, the charge transfer process between ZnO and Ag also leads to notable increment of blue and violet emissions from Zn interstitial defects. A thin SiO2 blocking layer inserted between the ZnO and Ag has been demonstrated to be able to efficiently suppress the defect emission enhancement caused by the direct contact of metal-semiconductor, without weakening the surface-plasmon-exciton coupling effect. A theoretical model considering the type of contacts formed between metals, ZnO and blocking layer is proposed to interpret the change of the PL spectra.

Characteristics of efficiency droop in GaN-based light emitting diodes with an insertion layer between the multiple quantum wells and n-GaN layer

We have studied the characteristics of efficiency droop in GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) with different kinds of insertion layers (ILs) between the multiple quantum wells (MQWs) layer and n-GaN layer. By using low-temperature (LT) (780 °C) n-GaN as IL, the efficiency droop behavior can be alleviated from 54% in reference LED to 36% from the maximum value at low injection current to 200 mA, which is much smaller than that of 49% in LED with InGaN/GaN short-period superlattices layer. The polarization field in MQWs is found to be smallest in LED with InGaN/GaN SPS layer. However, the V-shape defect density, about 5.3×108 cm−2, in its MQWs region is much higher than that value of 2.9×108 cm−2 in LED with LT n-GaN layer, which will lead to higher defect-related tunneling leakage of carriers. Therefore, we can mainly assign this alleviation of efficiency droop to the reduction of dislocation density in MQWs region rather than the decrease of polarization field.

High density GaN/AlN quantum dots for deep UV LED with high quantum efficiency and temperature stability

High internal efficiency and high temperature stability ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at 308 nm were achieved using high density (2.5 × 109 cm−2) GaN/AlN quantum dots (QDs) grown by MOVPE. Photoluminescence shows the characteristic behaviors of QDs: nearly constant linewidth and emission energy, and linear dependence of the intensity with varying excitation power. More significantly, the radiative recombination was found to dominant from 15 to 300 K, with a high internal quantum efficiency of 62% even at room temperature.

Optical and Electrical Properties of GaN-Based Light Emitting Diodes Grown on Micro- and Nano-Scale Patterned Si Substrate

We investigate the optical and electrical characteristics of the GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) grown on micro- and nano-scale patterned silicon substrate (MPLEDs and NPLEDs). The transmission electron microscopy images reveal the suppression of threading dislocation density in InGaN/GaN structure on nano-pattern substrate due to nano-scale epitaxial lateral overgrowth. The plan-view and cross-section cathodoluminescence mappings show less defective and more homogeneous active quantum-well region growth on nano-porous substrates. From temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) and low temperature time-resolved PL measurement, NPLEDs have better carrier confinement and higher radiative recombination rate than MPLEDs. In terms of device performance, NPLEDs exhibit smaller electroluminescence peak wavelength blue shift, lower reverse leakage current and decrease in efficiency droop when compared with the MPLEDs. These results suggest the feasibility of using NPSi for the growth of high quality and power LEDs on Si substrates.

Enhancement of p-type conductivity by modifying the internal electric field in Mg- and Si-δ-codoped AlxGa1-xN /AlyGa1-yN superlattices

National Natural Science Foundation [60827004, 60776066, 90921002]; Science and Technology program of Fujian and Xiamen of China