Simon Hammersley

The consequences of high injected carrier densities on carrier localization and efficiency droop in InGaN/GaN quantum well structures

There is a great deal of interest in the underlying causes of efficiency droop in InGaN/GaN quantum welllight emitting diodes, with several physical mechanisms being put forward to explain the phenomenon. In this paper we report on the observation of a reduction in the localization induced S-shape temperature dependence of the peak photoluminescence energy with increasing excitation power density. This S-shape dependence is a key fingerprint of carrier localization. Over the range of excitation power density where the depth of the S shape is reduced, we also observe a reduction in the integrated photoluminescence intensity per unit excitation power, i.e., efficiency droop. Hence, the onset of efficiency droop occurs at the same carrier density as the onset of carrier delocalization. We correlate these experimental results with the predictions of a theoretical model of the effects of carrier localization due to local variations in the concentration of the randomly distributed In atoms on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN quantum wells. On the basis of this comparison of theory with experiment we attribute the reduction in the S-shape temperature dependence to the saturation of the available localized states. We propose that this saturation of the localized states is a contributory factor to efficiency droop whereby nonlocalized carriers recombine non-radiatively.

Effects of quantum well growth temperature on the recombination efficiency of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells that emit in the green and blue spectral regions

InGaN-based light emitting diodes and multiple quantum wells designed to emit in the green spectral region exhibit, in general, lower internal quantum efficiencies than their blue-emitting counter parts, a phenomenon referred to as the “green gap.” One of the main differences between green-emitting and blue-emitting samples is that the quantum well growth temperature is lower for structures designed to emit at longer wavelengths, in order to reduce the effects of In desorption. In this paper, we report on the impact of the quantum well growth temperature on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells designed to emit at 460 nm and 530 nm. It was found that for both sets of samples increasing the temperature at which the InGaN quantum well was grown, while maintaining the same indium composition, led to an increase in the internal quantum efficiency measured at 300 K. These increases in internal quantum efficiency are shown to be due reductions in the non-radiative recombination rate which we attribute to reductions in point defect incorporation.

Carrier Density Dependent Localization and Consequences for Efficiency Droop in InGaN/GaN Quantum Well Structures

We report on the observation of a reduction in the depth of the S-shape in the temperature dependence of the photoluminescence peak energy with increasing excitation power density. Over the range of excitation power density where the depth of the S-shape is reduced, we also observe a reduction in the integrated photoluminescence intensity per unit excitation power, i.e., efficiency droop. Hence, the onset of efficiency droop occurs at the same carrier density as the onset of carrier delocalization. We correlate these experimental results with the predictions of a theoretical model of the effects of carrier localization due to local variations in the concentration of the randomly distributed In atoms on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN quantum wells. On the basis of this comparison of theory with experiment we attribute the reduction in the S-shape temperature dependence to the saturation of the available localized states. We propose that this saturation of the localized states is a contributory factor to efficiency droop whereby nonlocalized carriers recombine non-radiatively.

A comparison of the optical properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well structures grown with and without Si-doped InGaN prelayers

In this paper, we report on a detailed spectroscopic study of the optical properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well structures, both with and without a Si-doped InGaN prelayer. In photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy, a 2nd emission band, occurring at a higher energy, was identified in the spectrum of the multiple quantum well structure containing the InGaN prelayer, originating from the first quantum well in the stack. Band structure calculations revealed that a reduction in the resultant electric field occurred in the quantum well immediately adjacent to the InGaN prelayer, therefore leading to a reduction in the strength of the quantum confined Stark effect in this quantum well. The partial suppression of the quantum confined Stark effect in this quantum well led to a modified (higher) emission energy and increased radiative recombination rate. Therefore, we ascribed the origin of the high energy emission band to recombination from the 1st quantum well in the structure. Study of the temperature dependent recombination dynamics of both samples showed that the decay time measured across the spectrum was strongly influenced by the 1st quantum well in the stack (in the sample containing the prelayer) leading to a shorter average room temperature lifetime in this sample. The room temperature internal quantum efficiency of the prelayer containing sample was found to be higher than the reference sample (36% compared to 25%) which was thus attributed to the faster radiative recombination rate of the 1st quantum well providing a recombination pathway that is more competitive with non-radiative recombination processes.

Comparative studies of efficiency droop in polar and non-polar InGaN quantum wells

We report on a comparative study of efficiency droop in polar and non-polar InGaN quantum well structures at T = 10 K. To ensure that the experiments were carried out with identical carrier densities for any particular excitation power density, we used laser pulses of duration ∼100 fs at a repetition rate of 400 kHz. For both types of structures, efficiency droop was observed to occur for carrier densities of above 7 × 1011 cm−2 pulse−1 per quantum well; also both structures exhibited similar spectral broadening in the droop regime. These results show that efficiency droop is intrinsic in InGaN quantum wells, whether polar or non-polar, and is a function, specifically, of carrier density.

Localized multispectral crop imaging sensors: Engineering & validation of a cost effective plant stress and disease sensor

Close proximity hyperspectral and multispectral imaging of crops and soils offers significant potential to optimize sustainable intensification of arable produce and seeds breeding, through the real-time precision management of plant pathogens, viruses and pests and the non-destructive high throughput screening for beneficial crop traits. These opportunities have been recently reported and are the subject of ongoing R&D within industry and academia. The broad uptake of the technology by large commercial end-users, through integration with in-field and glasshouse machinery, is limited by cost and equipment reliability. It is further restricted by spectral and spatial resolution, power budget and size, when extending its applicability to consumer markets and small-holder farmers. This study verifies, for the first time, that multispectral sensor systems architectures, exploiting proprietary narrowband LEDs and silicon C-MOS imaging detectors, are capable of substituting for conventional and more expensive line-scanning hyperspectral imaging systems when operated in close proximity (c. 1-2m) of a crop canopy. This was achieved by comparing the data from a prototype version of the new LED-sensor system versus a reference laboratory hyperspectral imaging unit, which was previously developed for crop phenotyping, and the early detection of two fungal pathogen borne diseases in whole barley and sugar beet plants. The choice of crops and diseases replicates earlier studies, with the reference hyperspectral unit, and serves to demonstrate the generic applicability of the new LED-sensor system to cereal and tuber classes of crops. The results indicate that the new approach can deliver data of comparable quality to that of the reference system, for in-field duties, and offers the opportunity for higher sensitivity and spatial resolution. Future potential to apply the new multispectral, LED-based system within commercial products is then discussed.

Supplemental Blue LED Lighting Array to Improve the Signal Quality in Hyperspectral Imaging of Plants

Hyperspectral imaging systems used in plant science or agriculture often have suboptimal signal-to-noise ratio in the blue region (400–500 nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum. Typically there are two principal reasons for this effect, the low sensitivity of the imaging sensor and the low amount of light available from the illuminating source. In plant science, the blue region contains relevant information about the physiology and the health status of a plant. We report on the improvement in sensitivity of a hyperspectral imaging system in the blue region of the spectrum by using supplemental illumination provided by an array of high brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs) with an emission peak at 470 nm.

Effect of stacking faults on the photoluminescence spectrum of zincblende GaN

The photoluminescence spectra of a zincblende GaN epilayer grown via metal-organic chemical vapour deposition upon 3C-SiC/Si (001) substrates were investigated. Of particular interest was a broad emission band centered at 3.4 eV, with a FWHM of 200 meV, which extends above the bandgap of both zincblende and wurtzite GaN. Photoluminescence excitation measurements show that this band is associated with an absorption edge centered at 3.6 eV. Photoluminescence time decays for the band are monoexponential, with lifetimes that reduce from 0.67 ns to 0.15 ns as the recombination energy increases. TEM measurements show no evidence of wurtzite GaN inclusions which are typically used to explain emission in this energy range. However, dense stacking fault bunches are present in the epilayers. A model for the band alignment at the stacking faults was developed to explain this emission band, showing how both electrons and holes can be confined adjacent to stacking faults. Different stacking fault separations can chang...