Shu Xu

On the hole accelerator for III-nitride light-emitting diodes

In this work, we systematically conduct parametric studies revealing the sensitivity of the hole injection on the hole accelerator (a hole accelerator is made of the polarization mismatched p-electron blocking layer (EBL)/p-GaN/p-AlxGa1−xN heterojunction) with different designs, including the AlN composition in the p-AlxGa1−xN layer, and the thickness for the p-GaN layer and the p-AlxGa1−xN layer. According to our findings, the energy that the holes obtain does not monotonically increase as the AlN incorporation in the p-AlxGa1−xN layer increases. Meanwhile, with p-GaN layer or p-AlxGa1−xN layer thickening, the energy that the holes gain increases and then reaches a saturation level. Thus, the hole injection efficiency and the device efficiency are very sensitive to the p-EBL/p-GaN/p-AlxGa1−xN design, and the hole accelerator can effectively increase the hole injection if properly designed.

On the Hole Injection for III-Nitride Based Deep Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes

The hole injection is one of the bottlenecks that strongly hinder the quantum efficiency and the optical power for deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV LEDs) with the emission wavelength smaller than 360 nm. The hole injection efficiency for DUV LEDs is co-affected by the p-type ohmic contact, the p-type hole injection layer, the p-type electron blocking layer and the multiple quantum wells. In this report, we review a large diversity of advances that are currently adopted to increase the hole injection efficiency for DUV LEDs. Moreover, by disclosing the underlying device physics, the design strategies that we can follow have also been suggested to improve the hole injection for DUV LEDs.

A charge inverter for III-nitride light-emitting diodes

In this work, we propose a charge inverter that substantially increases the hole injection efficiency for InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The charge inverter consists of a metal/electrode, an insulator, and a semiconductor, making an Electrode-Insulator-Semiconductor (EIS) structure, which is formed by depositing an extremely thin SiO2 insulator layer on the p+-GaN surface of a LED structure before growing the p-electrode. When the LED is forward-biased, a weak inversion layer can be obtained at the interface between the p+-GaN and SiO2 insulator. The weak inversion region can shorten the carrier tunnel distance. Meanwhile, the smaller dielectric constant of the thin SiO2 layer increases the local electric field within the tunnel region, and this is effective in promoting the hole transport from the p-electrode into the p+-GaN layer. Due to the improved hole injection, the external quantum efficiency is increased by 20% at 20 mA for the 350 × 350 μm2 LED chip. Thus, the proposed EIS holds great pr...

Aqueous Synthesis of Methylammonium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals

Methylammonium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals offer attractive optoelectronic properties but suffer from fast degradation in the presence of water. In contradiction to this observation, we demonstrate the possibility of a direct aqueous synthesis of CH3 NH3 PbX3 (X=Br or Cl/Br) nanocrystals through the reaction between the lead halide complex and methylamine when the pH is maintained in the range of 0-5. Under these synthetic conditions, the positively charged surface of the perovskite nanocrystals and the proper ionic balance help to prevent their decomposition in water. Additional surface capping with organic amine ligands further improves the photoluminescence quantum yield of the perovskite nanocrystals to values close to 40 %, ensures their stability under ambient conditions for several months, and their photoluminescence performance under continuous 0.1 W mm-2 405 nm light irradiation for over 250 hours.

On the Importance of the Polarity for GaN/InGaN Last Quantum Barriers in III-Nitride-Based Light-Emitting Diodes

In this paper, we investigate the electron injection efficiency in terms of different polarities and different polarization charge densities at the GaN/InGaN interface. We find that the growth orientation for the GaN/InGaN-type last quantum barrier is essentially vital, i.e., the GaN/InGaN-type last quantum barrier is not able to effectively reduce the electron leakage and will degrade the light-emitting diode (LED) performance when the GaN/InGaN interface is [000-1] polarized. However, a suppressed electron leakage and enhanced optical power can be obtained for III-nitride LEDs grown along the [0001] orientation when the GaN/InGaN interface possesses polarization-induced negative charges. We conclude that the polarization-induced negative charges at the [0001] oriented GaN/InGaN interface facilitate the surface depletion in the GaN region, i.e., the conduction band of the GaN region is bent in the way of favoring electron depletion and contributes to an enhanced conduction band barrier height for electrons.

Synthesis of Quantum Dot-ZnS Nanosheet Inorganic Assembly with Low Thermal Fluorescent Quenching for LED Application

In this report, to tackle the thermal fluorescent quenching issue of II-VI semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), which hinders their on-chip packaging application to light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a QD-ZnS nanosheet inorganic assembly monolith (QD-ZnS NIAM) is developed through chemisorption of QDs on the surface of two-dimensional (2D) ZnS nanosheets and subsequent assembly of the nanosheets into a compact inorganic monolith. The QD-ZnS NIAM could reduce the thermal fluorescent quenching of QDs effectively, possibly due to fewer thermally induced permanent trap states and decreased Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) among QDs when compared with those in a reference QD composite thin film. We have demonstrated that the QD-ZnS NIAM enables QDs to be directly packaged on-chip in LEDs with over 90% of their initial luminance being retained at above 85 °C, showing advantage in LED application in comparison with conventional QD composite film.

Quantum dots enabled LCD displays and solid-state lighting

Quantum dots (QDs) with unique properties have evolved to be a key player in the next generation display and lighting applications. Followed by studies on the optimization of QD nanomaterials with low self-absorption properties, we analyze and identify the key parameters of the QDs that impact the color gamut and energy efficiency features of LCD displays using QD-enabled LED backlights, which consist of red and green QDs as well as blue LEDs that act as pumping sources. It is found that both the full width at half maximum (FWHM) and the emission peak positions of the green and the red QDs affect the color gamut. A narrower FWHM for both color QDs is preferred to achieve a wider color gamut while a combination of green QDs with shorter wavelength and red QDs with longer wavelength within the studied wavelength range (520 nm to 540 nm for the green and 610 nm to 635 nm for the red) is also desired. Nevertheless, QD-enabled LED backlight with a combination of longer-wavelength green QDs and shorter-wavelength red QDs is more energy efficient than the reverse case. Therefore, one needs balance these two key factors based on the targeted display performance requirements. On the solid-state lighting application side with QDs, we propose and show a QD-enabled LED light engine architecture that is more energy efficient with high light quality.