Performance improvement of blue light-emitting diodes with an AlInN/GaN superlattice electron-blocking layer

The characteristics of a blue light-emitting diode (LED) with an AlInN/GaN superlattice (SL) electron-blocking layer (EBL) are analyzed numerically. The carrier concentrations in the quantum wells, energy band diagrams, electrostatic fields, and internal quantum efficiency are investigated. The results suggest that the LED with an AlInN/GaN SL EBL has better hole injection efficiency, lower electron leakage, and smaller electrostatic fields in the active region than the LED with a conventional rectangular AlGaN EBL or a AlGaN/ GaN SL EBL. The results also indicate that the efficiency droop is markedly improved when an AlInN/GaN SL EBL is used.     

Performance enhancement of an InGaN light-emitting diode with an AlGaN/InGaN superlattice electron-blocking layer

The efficiency enhancement of an InGaN light-emitting diode(LED) with an AlGaN/InGaN superlattice(SL)electron-blocking layer(EBL) is studied numerically,which involves the light-current performance curve,internal quantum efficiency electrostatic field band wavefunction,energy band diagram carrier concentration,electron current density,and radiative recombination rate.The simulation results indicate that the LED with an AlGaN/InGaN SL EBL has better optical performance than the LED with a conventional rectangular AlGaN EBL or a normal AlGaN/GaN SL EBL because of the appropriately modified energy band diagram,which is favorable for the injection of holes and confinement of electrons.Additionally,the efficiency droop of the LED with an AlGaN/InGaN SL EBL is markedly improved by reducing the polarization field in the active region.     

新型电子阻挡层结构对蓝光InGaN发光二极管性能的提高

分别对3种不种电子阻挡层的蓝光AlGaN LED进行数值模拟研究。3种阻挡层结构分别为传统AlGaN电子阻挡层,AlGaN-GaN-AlGaN电子阻挡层和Al组分渐变的AlGaN-GaN-AlGaN电子阻挡层。此外对这对三种器件的活性区的载流子浓度、能带图、静电场和内量子效率进行比较和分析。研究结果表明,相较于传统AlGaN和AlGaN-GaN-AlGaN两种电子阻挡层的LED,具有Al组分渐变的AlGaN-GaN-AlGaN电子阻挡层结构的LED具有较高的空穴注入效率、较低的电子外溢现象和较小的静电场(活性区)。同时,具有Al组分渐变的AlGaN-GaN-AlGaN电子阻挡层结构的LED的efficiency droop现象也得到一定的缓解。     

Improvement of characteristics of InGaN light-emitting diode by using a staggered AlGaN electron-blocking layer

The optical and physical properties of InGaN light-emitting diode (LED) with a specific design of staggered AlGaN electron-blocking layer (EBL) are investigated numerically in detail. The electrostatic field distribution, energy band, carrier concentration, electroluminescence (EL) intensity, internal quantum efficiency (IQE), and the output power are simulated. The results reveal that this specific design has a remarkable improvement of optical performance compared with the design of conventional LED. The lower electron leakage current, higher hole injection efficiency, and consequently mitigated efficiency droop are achieved. The significant decrease of electrostatic field at the interface between the last barrier and the EBL of LED could be one of the main reasons for these improvements.     

Enhanced carrier injection in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells LED with polarization-induced electron blocking barrier

In this report, we designed a light emitting diode (LED) structure in which an N-polar p-GaN layer is grown on top of Ga-polar In_0.1Ga_0.9N/GaN quantum wells (QWs) on an n-GaN layer. Numerical simulation reveals that the large polarization field at the polarity inversion interface induces a potential barrier in the conduction band, which can block electron overflow out of the QWs. Compared with a conventional LED structure with an Al_0.2Ga_0.8N electron blocking layer (EBL), the proposed LED structure shows much lower electron current leakage, higher hole injection, and a significant improvement in the internal quantum efficiency (IQE). These results suggest that the polarization induced barrier (PIB) is more effective than the AlGaN EBL in suppressing electron overflow and improving hole transport in GaN-based LEDs.     

Improvement of characteristics of an InGaN light-emitting diode by using a staggered AlGaN electron-blocking layer

The optical and physical properties of an InGaN light-emitting diode (LED) with a specific design of a staggered AlGaN electron-blocking layer (EBL) are investigated numerically in detail. The electrostatic field distribution, energy band, carrier concentration, electroluminescence (EL) intensity, internal quantum efficiency (IQE), and the output power are simulated. The results reveal that this specific design has a remarkable improvement in optical performance compared with the design of a conventional LED. The lower electron leakage current, higher hole injection efficiency, and consequently mitigated efficiency droop are achieved. The significant decrease of electrostatic field at the interface between the last barrier and the EBL of the LED could be one of the main reasons for these improvements.     

Numerical study of the advantages of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with a single step quantum well as the electron blocking layer

The advantages of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with a single step quantum well used as electron blocking layer (EBL) are studied numerically. The energy band diagrams, hole concentrations, electrostatic field near the EBL, current–voltage curve and internal quantum efficiency (IQE) are investigated by using the Crosslight simulation programs. The simulation results show that the structure with a single step quantum well has better performance over the conventional one, which can be attributed to the mitigated band bending near the EBL due to the change of electrostatic field by using a step well. Therefore, the efficiency of hole injection is improved, with which both the IQE and the total lighting power are increased.     

Improved performance of near UV light-emitting diodes with a composition-graded p-AlGaN irregular sawtooth electron-blocking layer

We investigate the performances of the near-ultraviolet(about 350 nm-360 nm) light-emitting diodes(LEDs) each with specifically designed irregular sawtooth electron blocking layer(EBL) by using the APSYS simulation program.The internal quantum efficiencies(IQEs),light output powers,carrier concentrations in the quantum wells,energy-band diagrams,and electrostatic fields are analyzed carefully.The results indicate that the LEDs with composition-graded pAl_xGa_(1-x)N irregular sawtooth EBLs have better performances than their counterparts with stationary component p-AlGaN EBLs.The improvements can be attributed to the improved polarization field in EBL and active region as well as the alleviation of band bending in the EBL/p-AlGaN interface,which results in less electron leakage and better hole injection efficiency,thus reducing efficiency droop and enhancing the radiative recombination rate.     

Improved performance of InGaN light-emitting diodes with a novel sawtooth-shaped electron blocking layer

A sawtooth-shaped electron blocking layer is proposed to improve the performance of light-emitting diodes （LEDs）. The energy band diagram, the electrostatic field in the quantum well, the carrier concentration, the electron leakage, and the internal quantum efficiency are systematically studied. The simulation results show that the LED with a sawtooth-shaped electron blocking layer possesses higher output power and a smaller efficiency droop than the LED with a conventional A1GaN electron blocking layer, which is because the electron confinement is enhanced and the hole injection efficiency is improved by the appropriately modified electron blocking layer energy band.     

Performance improvement of blue InGaN light-emitting diodes with a specially designed n-AlGaN hole blocking layer

Blue InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with a conventional electron blocking layer (EBL), a common n-AlGaN hole blocking layer (HBL), and an n-AlGaN HBL with gradual Al composition are investigated numerically, which involves analyses of the carrier concentration in the active region, energy band diagram, electrostatic field, and internal quantum efficiency (IQE). The results indicate that LEDs with an n-AlGaN HBL with gradual Al composition exhibit better hole injection efficiency, lower electron leakage, and a smaller electrostatic field in the active region than LEDs with a conventional p-AlGaN EBL or a common n-AlGaN HBL. Meanwhile, the efficiency droop is alleviated when an n-AlGaN HBL with gradual Al composition is used.     

Improved carrier injection and confinement in InGaN light-emitting diodes containing GaN/AlGaN/GaN triangular barriers

In this study, an InGaN lighting-emitting diode(LED) containing GaN/AlGaN/GaN triangular barriers is proposed and investigated numerically. The simulation results of output performance, carrier concentration, and radiative recombination rate indicate that the proposed LED has a higher output power and an internal quantum efficiency, and a lower efficiency droop than the LED containing conventional GaN or AlGaN barriers. These improvements mainly arise from the modified energy bands, which is evidenced by analyzing the LED energy band diagram and electrostatic field near the active region.The modified energy bands effectively improve carrier injection and confinement, which significantly reduces electron leakage and increases the rate of radiative recombination in the quantum wells.     

Performance improvement of InGaN blue light-emitting diodes with several kinds of electron-blocking layers

The performance of InGaN blue light-emitting diodes(LEDs) with different kinds of electron-blocking layers is investigated numerically.We compare the simulated emission spectra,electron and hole concentrations,energy band diagrams,electrostatic fields,and internal quantum efficiencies of the LEDs.The LED using AlGaN with gradually increasing Al content from 0% to 20% as the electron-blocking layer(EBL) has a strong spectrum intensity,mitigates efficiency droop,and possesses higher output power compared with the LEDs with the other three types of EBLs.These advantages could be because of the lower electron leakage current and more effective hole injection.The optical performance of the specifically designed LED is also improved in the case of large injection current.     

Advantages of blue InGaN light-emitting diodes without an electron-blocking layer by using AlGaN step-like barriers

With the purpose to increase the uniformity of carrier distribution without sacrificing the enhancement of carrier injection efficiency, the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) without an electron-blocking layer (EBL) by using AlGaN step-like barriers (SLBs) is proposed and investigated numerically. The simulation results show that the enhanced electron confinement and hole injection efficiency are mainly attributed to the mitigated downward band bending induced by polarization field at the interface of the last barrier and EBL and the increased carrier distribution uniformity is due to step-like potential height for carrier of the new designed LEDs. In addition, the distribution of radiative recombination rate and the efficiency droop are markedly improved when the conventional GaN barriers are replaced by AlGaN SLBs and the EBL is removed.     

多量子势垒双阻挡层结构对AlGaN 基深紫外激光二极管的性能优化

为提高AlGaN基深紫外激光二极管(Deep Ultraviolet Laser Diodes,DUV-LD)有源区内载流子浓度,减少载流子泄露,提出一种DUV-LD双阻挡层结构,相对于传统的单一电子阻挡层(Electron Blocking Layer, EBL)结构,又引入一空穴阻挡层(Hole Blocking Layer, HBL),仿真结果证明空穴阻挡层的应用能很好地减少空穴泄漏.同时又对双阻挡层改用五周期Al_0.98Ga_0.02N/Al_0.9Ga_0.1N多量子势垒层结构,结果显示与矩形EBL和HBL激光二极管相比,多量子势垒EBL和HBL激光二极管有更好的斜率效率,并且有源区内电子和空穴载流子浓度以及辐射复合速率都有效提高,其中多量子势垒EBL在阻挡电子泄露方面效果更显著.     

Efficiency droop alleviation in blue light emitting diodes using the InGaN/GaN triangular-shaped quantum well

The InGaN/GaN blue light emitting diode(LED) is numerically investigated using a triangular-shaped quantum well model,which involves analysis on its energy band,carrier concentration,overlap of electron and hole wave functions,radiative recombination rate,and internal quantum efficiency.The simulation results reveal that the InGaN/GaN blue light emitting diode with triangular quantum wells exhibits a higher radiative recombination rate than the conventional light emitting diode with rectangular quantum wells due to the enhanced overlap of electron and hole wave functions(above 90%) under the polarization field.Consequently,the efficiency droop is only 18% in the light emitting diode with triangular-shaped quantum wells,which is three times lower than that in a conventional LED.     

Enhanced performance of InGaN light-emitting diodes with InGaN and composition-graded InGaN interlayers

The effects of InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with InGaN and composition-graded InGaN interlayers in the space of multiple quantum wells and electron blocking layer are studied numerically. The electrostatic field, energy band diagrams, carrier concentrations, light–current–voltage performances, and internal quantum efficiency (IQE) are investigated. Simulation results show that the light output power and IQE are both largely improved over the conventional LED structure due to the improvement in hole injection efficiency and electron blocking capability, especially for the LED with composition-graded InGaN interlayer.     

Enhanced performance of AlGaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with linearly graded AlGaN inserting layer in electron blocking layer

The conventional stationary Al content Al GaN electron blocking layer(EBL) in ultraviolet light-emitting diode(UV LED) is optimized by employing a linearly graded Al Ga N inserting layer which is 2.0 nm Al_(0.3) Ga_(0.7) N/5.0 nm Alx Ga_(1-x) N/8.0 nm Al_(0.3) Ga_(0.7) N with decreasing value of x. The results indicate that the internal quantum efficiency is significantly improved and the efficiency droop is mitigated by using the proposed structure. These improvements are attributed to the increase of the effective barrier height for electrons and the reduction of the effective barrier height for holes,which result in an increased hole injection efficiency and a decreased electron leakage into the p-type region. In addition,the linearly graded AlGaN inserting layer can generate more holes in EBL due to the polarization-induced hole doping and a tunneling effect probably occurs to enhance the hole transportation to the active regions, which will be beneficial to the radiative recombination.     

反对称n-AlGaN层对GaN基双蓝光波长发光二极管性能的影响

采用数值分析方法对在InGaN/GaN混合多量子阱活性层和n-GaN之间引入n-AlGaN层的GaN基双蓝光波长发光二极管进行模拟分析.结果发现,与传统的具有p-AlGaN电子阻挡层的双蓝光波长发光二极管相比,这种反对称n-AlGaN层能有效改善电子和空穴在混合多量子阱活性层中的分布均匀性及减少电子溢出,实现电子空穴在各个量子阱中的平衡辐射,从而减弱了双蓝光波长发光二极管的效率衰减.此外,通过改变Al组分可以提高双蓝光波长发光二极管发射光谱的稳定性:当Al组分为0.16时,双蓝光波长发光二极管的光谱在小电流下比较稳定,而Al组分为0.12时,光谱在大电流下比较稳定.     

Efficiency enhancement of an InGaN light-emitting diode with a p-AlGaN/GaN superlattice last quantum barrier

In this study,the efficiency droop of an InGaN light-emitting diode(LED)is reduced significantly by using a pAlGaN/GaN superlattice last quantum barrier.The reduction in efficiency droop is mainly caused by the decrease of electron current leakage and the increase of hole injection efficiency,which is revealed by investigating the light currents,internal quantum efficiencies,energy band diagrams,carrier concentrations,carrier current densities,and radiative recombination efficiencies of three LED structures with the advanced physical model of semiconductor device(APSYS).     

Improvement of radiative recombination rate in deep ultraviolet laser diodes with step-like quantum barrier and aluminum-content graded electron blocking layer

The design of the active region structures, including the modifications of structures of the quantum barrier(QB) and electron blocking layer(EBL), in the deep ultraviolet(DUV) Al Ga N laser diode(LD) is investigated numerically with the Crosslight software. The analyses focus on electron and hole injection efficiency, electron leakage, hole diffusion,and radiative recombination rate. Compared with the reference QB structure, the step-like QB structure provides high radiative recombination and maximum output power. Subsequently, a comparative study is conducted on the performance characteristics with four different EBLs. For the EBL with different Al mole fraction layers, the higher Al-content Al Ga N EBL layer is located closely to the active region, leading the electron current leakage to lower, the carrier injection efficiency to increase, and the radiative recombination rate to improve.