skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: AlGaN-Delta-GaN Quantum Well for DUV LEDs
AlGaN-delta-GaN quantum well (QW) structures have been demonstrated to be good candidates for the realization of high-efficiency deep-ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, such heterostructures are still not fully understood. This study focuses on investigation of the optical properties and efficiency of the AlGaN-delta-GaN QW structures using self-consistent six-band k⸱p modelling and finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. Structures with different Al contents in the AlxGa1−xN sub-QW and AlyGa1−yN barrier regions are examined in detail. Results show that the emission wavelength (λ) can be engineered through manipulation of delta-GaN layer thickness, sub-QW Al content (x), and barrier Al content (y), while maintaining a large spontaneous emission rate corresponding to around 90% radiative recombination efficiency (ηRAD). In addition, due to the dominant transverse-electric (TE)-polarized emission from the AlGaN-delta-GaN QW structure, the light extraction efficiency (ηEXT) is greatly enhanced when compared to a conventional AlGaN QW. Combined with the large ηRAD, this leads to the significant enhancement of external quantum efficiency (ηEQE), indicating that AlGaN-delta-GaN structures could be a promising solution for high-efficiency DUV LEDs.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1751675
PAR ID:
10214757
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Photonics
Volume:
7
Issue:
4
ISSN:
2304-6732
Page Range / eLocation ID:
87
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Polarization properties from AlGaN quantum well (QW) strongly determine the efficiency of deep ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), hence knowing the critical Al-content at which the light polarization switches is essential for high-efficiency deep UV LED designs. This work theoretically investigates the influence of QW design on the light polarization switching in AlGaN-based UV LEDs. The physics analysis by using the self-consistent 6-band k·p model shows that the Al-content for valence subbands crossover presents an increasing trend as AlGaN QW thickness increases with consideration of polarization electric field, carrier screening effect and strain state. On the other hand, the critical Al-content where the transverse-electric-polarized spontaneous emission recombination rate (Rsp) is equal to the transverse-magnetic-polarized Rsp has the maximum value at the QW thickness of ∼1.5 nm. The difference between the two types of critical Al-contents can be explained by the quantum confined stark effect and the band mixing effect. The light polarization properties from reported AlGaN-based UV emitters show a similar trend to our theoretical results on critical Al-contents, indicating the importance on the understanding of QW design for high-efficiency deep-UV emitters. 
    more » « less
  2. We report optically and electrically pumped ∼<#comment/> 280 n m deep ultraviolet (DUV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) with ultra-thin GaN/AlN quantum disks (QDs) inserted into AlGaN nanorods by selective epitaxial regrowth using molecular beam epitaxy. The GaN/AlN QD LED has shown strong DUV emission distribution on the ordered nanorods and high internal quantum efficiency of 81.2%, as a result of strain release and reduced density of threading dislocations revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Nanorod assembly suppresses the lateral guiding mode of light, and light extraction efficiency can be increased from 14.9% for planar DUV LEDs to 49.6% for nanorod DUV LEDs estimated by finite difference time domain simulations. Presented results offer the potential to solve the issue of external quantum efficiency limitation of DUV LED devices. 
    more » « less
  3. We report on the illustration of the first electron blocking layer (EBL) free AlInN nanowire light-emitting diodes (LEDs) operating in the deep ultraviolet (DUV) wavelength region (sub-250 nm). We have systematically analyzed the results using APSYS software and compared with simulated AlGaN nanowire DUV LEDs. From the simulation results, significant efficiency droop was observed in AlGaN based devices, attributed to the significant electron leakage. However, compared to AlGaN nanowire DUV LEDs at similar emission wavelength, the proposed single quantum well (SQW) AlInN based light-emitters offer higher internal quantum efficiency without droop up to current density of 1500 A/cm2and high output optical power. Moreover, we find that transverse magnetic polarized emission is ∼ 5 orders stronger than transverse electric polarized emission at 238 nm wavelength. Further research shows that the performance of the AlInN DUV nanowire LEDs decreases with multiple QWs in the active region due to the presence of the non-uniform carrier distribution in the active region. This study provides important insights on the design of new type of high performance AlInN nanowire DUV LEDs, by replacing currently used AlGaN semiconductors. 
    more » « less
  4. null (Ed.)
    igh internal quantum efficiency (85%) was realized from the AlGaN-delta-GaN quantum well (QW) structure grown on a conventional AlN/sapphire template by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. The peak emission wavelength is observed at 260 nm. 
    more » « less
  5. Morkoç, Hadis; Fujioka, Hiroshi; Schwarz, Ulrich T. (Ed.)
    Although AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been studied extensively, their quantum efficiency and optical output power still remain extremely low compared to the InGaN-based visible color LEDs. Electron leakage has been identified as one of the most possible reasons for the low internal quantum efficiency (IQE) in AlGaN based UV LEDs. The integration of a p-doped AlGaN electron blocking layer (EBL) or/and increasing the conduction band barrier heights with prompt utilization of higher Al composition quantum barriers (QBs) in the LED could mitigate the electron leakage problem to an extent, but not completely. In this context, we introduce a promising approach to alleviate the electron overflow without using EBL by utilizing graded concave QBs instead of conventional QBs in AlGaN UV LEDs. Overall, the carrier transportation, confinement capability and radiative recombination are significantly improved. As a result, the IQE, and output power of the proposed concave QB LED were enhanced by ~25.4% and ~25.6% compared to the conventional LED for emission at ~254 nm, under 60 mA injection current. 
    more » « less