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We report on the realization of top-down fabricated, electrically driven, deep-ultraviolet (DUV) AlGaN micropillar array light emitting diodes (LEDs) with high output power density. Ordered arrays of micropillars with the inverse-taper profile were formed from an AlGaN epitaxial stack (epistack) using a Ni-masked Cl2 plasma dry etch and KOH-based wet etching. Following deposition of the n-contact, polydimethylsiloxane was spin-coated and etched-back to reveal the tips of the pillars to allow for formation of the p-contact. The DUV LEDs were tested at the wafer-level using a manual probe station to characterize their electrical and optical properties, revealing stable electroluminescence at 286 nm with a narrow 9-nm linewidth. Optical output power was found to be linearly related to current density, with output power densities up to 35 mW/cm2, comparable to the results reported for epitaxially grown DUV nanowire LEDs. Simulations revealed that the inverse-taper profile of the micropillars could lead to large enhancements in light extraction efficiency (ηEXT) of up to 250% when compared to micropillars with vertical sidewalls. The realization of ordered, electrically driven, top-down fabricated micropillar DUV LEDs with competitive output power represents an important step forward in the development of high-efficiency, scalable DUV emitters for a wide range of applications.
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Enhanced microLED efficiency via strategic pGaN contact geometries
Micro light-emitting diode (microLED) structures were modeled and validated with fabricated devices to investigate p-type GaN (pGaN) contact size dependence on power output efficiency. Two schemes were investigated: a constant 10μm diameter pGaN contact and varying microLED sizes and a constant 10μm diameter microLED with varying contact sizes. Modeled devices show a 17% improvement in output power by increasing the microLED die size. Fabricated devices followed the same trend with a 70% improvement in power output. Modeled microLED devices of a constant size and varying inner contact sizes show optimized power output at different current densities for various contact sizes. In particular, lower current densities show optimized output for smaller pGaN contacts and trend towards larger contacts for higher current densities in a balance between undesirable efficiency losses at high-current injection and preventing surface recombination losses. We show that for all device geometries, it is preferential to shrink the pGaN contact to maximize efficiency by suppressing surface recombination losses and further improvements should be carefully considered to optimize efficiency for a desired operational brightness.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1926747
- PAR ID:
- 10224156
- Publisher / Repository:
- Optical Society of America
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Optics Express
- Volume:
- 29
- Issue:
- 10
- ISSN:
- 1094-4087; OPEXFF
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 14841
- Size(s):
- Article No. 14841
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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