Kui Wu

Selectively grown photonic crystal structures for high efficiency InGaN emitting diodes using nanospherical-lens lithography

We report a low-cost and high-throughput process for the fabrication of two-dimensional SiO2 photonic crystal (PhC) by nanospherical-lens photolithography method to improve the light extraction of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The PhC structures were realized by the selective area growth of p-GaN using SiO2 nanodisks, which were patterned utilizing a self-assembled nanosphere as an optical lens. Without prejudice to the electrical properties of LEDs, the light output power (at 350 mA) of LEDs with the SiO2 and corresponding air-hole PhC was enhanced by 71.3% and 49.3%, respectively, compared to that without PhC. The LEDs with selectively grown PhC structures were found to exhibit partial compression strain release and reduced emission divergence. The finite-difference time-domain simulation was also performed to further reveal the emission characteristics of PhC LEDs.

Fabrication and optical characteristics of phosphor-free InGaN nanopyramid white light emitting diodes by nanospherical-lens photolithography

A novel nanopattern technique of nanospherical-lens photolithography is introduced to fabricate the InGaN nanopyramid white (NPW) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by selective area growth. Highly ordered NPW LED arrays are achieved after optimizing the growth conditions. It is found that the NPW LEDs vary from warm white light to cool with the increase in growth temperature. For the cool white NPW LEDs, the spectrum is similar to the conventional white LEDs obtained from the blue LEDs combined with yellow phosphors. The blue emission originates from the upper sidewalls of nanopyramids, and yellow light is mainly emitted from the lower ridges with respect to the base of nanopyramids. Furthermore, simulation shows that the light extraction efficiency of NPW LEDs is about 4 times higher compared with conventional ones, and the escape cone is as much as 85 degrees due to their three-dimensional nanopyramid structures. These observations suggest that the proposed phosphor-free NPW LEDs may have great potential for highly efficient white lighting

Efficiency improvement and droop behavior in nanospherical-lens lithographically patterned bottom and top photonic crystal InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes

Large-scale SiO2 nanodisk arrays fabricated by nanospherical-lens lithography are embedded in the n-GaN and p-GaN layer of an InGaN/GaN light-emitting diode (LED) to produce photonic crystal (PC) structures for efficiency improvement. Following the obvious reduction of view angle, the light output power of bottom, top, and double PC LEDs is enhanced by 74.5%, 60.1%, and 88.2% compared to that of a conventional LED at 350 mA current, respectively. Despite the enhanced external quantum efficiency due to improved crystalline quality and light extraction, these PC LEDs exhibit lower peak efficiency current density and more serious efficiency droop than conventional LEDs. Combined with the rate equation, the droop mechanisms of PC LEDs have also been investigated experimentally and by simulation.

Phosphor-free nanopyramid white light-emitting diodes grown on { 10 1 ¯ 1 } planes using nanospherical-lens photolithography

We reported a high-efficiency and low-cost nano-pattern method, the nanospherical-lens photolithography technique, to fabricate a SiO2 mask for selective area growth. By controlling the selective growth, we got a highly ordered hexagonal nanopyramid light emitting diodes with InGaN/GaN quantum wells grown on nanofacets, demonstrating an electrically driven phosphor-free white light emission. We found that both the quantum well width and indium incorporation increased linearly along the {10 (1) over bar1} planes towards the substrate and the perpendicular direction to the {10 (1) over bar1} planes as well. Such spatial distribution was responsible for the broadband emission. Moreover, using cathodoluminescence techniques, it was found that the blue emission originated from nanopyramid top, resembling the quantum dots, green emission from the InGaN quantum wells layer at the middle of sidewalls, and yellow emission mainly from the bottom of nanopyramid ridges, similar to the quantum wires.

Nanospherical-lens lithographical Ag nanodisk arrays embedded in p-GaN for localized surface plasmon-enhanced blue light emitting diodes

Large-scale Ag nanodisks (NDs) arrays fabricated using nanospherical-lens lithography (NLL) are embedded in p-GaN layer of an InGaN/GaN light-emitting diode (LED) for generating localized surface plasmon (LSP) coupling with the radiating dipoles in the quantum-well (QWs). Based on the Ag NDs with the controlled surface coverage, LSP leads to the improved crystalline quality of regrowth p-GaN, increased photoluminescence (PL) intensity, reduced PL decay time, and enhanced output power of LED. Compared with the LED without Ag NDs, the optical output power at a current of 350 mA of the LSP-enhanced LEDs with Ag NDs having a distance of 20 and 35 nm to QWs is increased by 26.7% and 31.1%, respectively. The electrical characteristics and optical properties of LEDs with embedded Ag NPs are dependent on the distance of between Ag NPs and QWs region. The LED with Ag NDs array structure is also found to exhibit reduced emission divergence, compared to that without Ag NDs.

Light extraction improvement of InGaN light-emitting diodes with large-area highly ordered ITO nanobowls photonic crystal via self-assembled nanosphere lithography

The InGaN multiple quantum well light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with different sizes of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) nanobowl photonic crystal (PhC) structure has been fabricated using self-assembled monolayer nanosphere lithography. The light output power (LOP) of PhC LEDs (at 350 mA) has been enhanced by 63.5% and the emission divergence exhibits a 28.8° reduction compared to conventional LEDs without PhC structure. Current-Voltage curves have shown that these PhC structures on ITO layer will not degrade the LED electrical properties. The finite-difference time-domain simulation (FDTD) has also been performed for light extraction and emission characteristics, which is consistent with the experimental results.

Enhanced Light Emission of Light-Emitting Diodes with Silicon Oxide Nanobowls Photonic Crystal without Electrical Performance Damages

Unencapsulated GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal closely-packed silicon oxide nanobowls photonic crystal (PhC) on the indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent conductive layer were fabricated by using polystyrene spheres and sol–gel process. Compared to conventional LEDs with planar ITO layers, the light output power of 600-nm-lattice PhC LEDs was improved by 25.6% at an injection current of 20 mA. Furthermore, electrical performance of the PhC LEDs was damage-free via this chemical technique.

Large-scale SiO2 photonic crystal for high efficiency GaN LEDs by nanospherical-lens lithography

Wafer-scale SiO2 photonic crystal (PhC) patterns (SiO2 air-hole PhC, SiO2-pillar PhC) on indium tin oxide (ITO) layer of GaN-based light-emitting diode (LED) are fabricated via novel nanospherical-lens lithography. Nanoscale polystyrene spheres are self-assembled into a hexagonal closed-packed monolayer array acting as convex lens for exposure using conventional lithography instrument. The light output power is enhanced by as great as 40.5% and 61% over those of as-grown LEDs, for SiO2-hole PhC and SiO2-pillar PhC LEDs, respectively. No degradation to LED electrical properties is found due to the fact that SiO2 PhC structures are fabricated on ITO current spreading electrode. For SiO2-pillar PhC LEDs, which have the largest light output power in all LEDs, no dry etching, which would introduce etching damage, was involved. Our method is demonstrated to be a simple, low cost, and high-yield technique for fabricating the PhC LEDs. Furthermore, the finite difference time domain simulation is also performed to further reveal the emission characteristics of LEDs with PhC structures.