Double superlattice structure for improving the performance of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

The novel AlGaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes(UV-LEDs) with double superlattice structure(DSL) are proposed and demonstrated by numerical simulation and experimental verification. The DSL consists of 30-period Mg modulation-doped p-AlGaN/u-GaN superlattice(SL) and 4-period p-AlGaN/p-GaN SL electron blocking layer, which are used to replace the p-type GaN layer and electron blocking layer of conventional UV-LEDs, respectively. Due to the special effects and interfacial stress, the AlGaN/GaN short-period superlattice can reduce the acceptor ionization energy of the ptype regions, thereby increasing the hole concentration. Meanwhile, the multi-barrier electron blocking layers are effective in suppressing electron leakage and improving hole injection. Experimental results show that the enhancements of 22.5%and 37.9% in the output power and external quantum efficiency at 120 m A appear in the device with double superlattice structure.     

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.     

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 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.     

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.     

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.     

Numerical study of performance characteristics of deep violet InGaN DQW laser diodes with AlInGaN quaternary multi quantum barrier electron blocking layer

The performance characteristics of deep violet In_0.082Ga_0.918N/GaN double quantum well (DQW) laser diodes (LDs) with different electron blocking layer (EBL) including a ternary AlGaN bulk EBL, a quaternary AlInGaN bulk EBL and ternary AlGaN multi quantum barrier (MQB) EBL has been numerically investigated. Inspired by the abovementioned structures, a new LD structure with a quaternary AlInGaN MQB EBL has been proposed to improve the performance characteristics of the deep violet InGaN DQW LDs. Simulation results indicated that the LD structure with the quaternary AlInGaN MQB EBL present the highest output power, slope efficiency and differential quantum efficiency (DQE) and lowest threshold current compared with the above mentioned structures. They also indicated that choosing an appropriate aluminum (Al) and indium (In) composition in the quaternary AlInGaN MQB layers could control both piezoelectric and spontaneous polarizations. It will decrease the electron overflow from the active region to p-side and increased the contribution of electron and hole carriers to the radiative recombination effectively. Enhancing radiative recombination in the well using the quaternary AlInGaN MQB EBL also increased the optical output power and optical intensity.     

Experimental and theoretical investigations of optical properties of GaN/AlGaN MQW nanostructures. Impact of built-in polarization fields

We report the results from detailed optical spectroscopy from MOCVD grown GaN/AlGaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs), as opposed to most previous studies where MBE was employed by means of photoluminescence (PL) technique. In this paper we will present theoretical and experimental results demonstrating how polarization induced electric fields and bound interface charges in GaN/AlGaN MQWs affect the emission peak energy, PL line shape, as well as the emission line width. Theoretically estimated fields in this work are consistent with experimental data. Transition energy of the heavy hole and electron ground state Ee-hh in GaN/AlGaN MQWs were calculated and it is found that it stays in good agreement with the experimental data.     

The influence of AlN interlayers on the microstructural and electrical properties of p-type AlGaN/GaN superlattices grown on GaN/sapphire templates

AlN with different thicknesses were grown as interlayers (ILs) between GaN and p-type Al_0.15Ga_0.85N/GaN superlattices (SLs) by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). It was found that the edge-type threading dislocation density (TDD) increased gradually from the minimum of 2.5×10⁹?cm^?2 without AlN IL to the maximum of 1×10¹⁰?cm^?2 at an AlN thickness of 20 nm, while the screw-type TDD remained almost unchanged due to the interface-related TD suppression and regeneration mechanism. We obtained that the edge-type dislocations acted as acceptors in p-type Al _x Ga_1?x N/GaN SLs, through the comparison of the edge-type TDD and hole concentration with different thicknesses of AlN IL. The Mg activation energy was significantly decreased from 153 to 70?meV with a?10-nm AlN IL, which was attributed to the strain modulation between AlGaN barrier and GaN well. The large activation efficiency, together with the TDs, led to the enhanced hole concentration. The variation trend of Hall mobility was also observed, which originated from the scattering at TDs.     

使用AlN/GaN超晶格势垒层生长高Al组分AlGaN/GaN HEMT结构

在蓝宝石衬底上生长了以AlN/GaN超晶格准AlGaN合金作为势垒的HEMT结构材料,并与传统AlGaN合金势垒样品进行了对比.在高Al组分(≥40%)情况下,超晶格势垒样品的表面形貌明显改进,电学性能特别是2DEG面电子浓度也有所改进.对超晶格势垒生长参数进行了初步优化,使得HEMT结构薄层电阻进一步降低,最后获得了251 Ω/□的薄层电阻. 关键词： AlGaN/GaN 结构 AlN/GaN超晶格 二维电子气 高电子迁移率晶体管     

High-efficiency InGaN/AlInGaN multiple quantum wells with lattice-matched AlInGaN superlattices barrier

A new approach to fabricating high-quality AlInGaN film as a lattice-matched barrier layer in multiple quantum wells(MQWs) is presented. The high-quality AlInGaN film is realized by growing the AlGaN/InGaN short period superlattices through metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, and then being used as a barrier in the MQWs. The crystalline quality of the MQWs with the lattice-matched AlInGaN barrier and that of the conventional InGaN/GaN MQWs are characterized by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The photoluminescence(PL) properties of the InGaN/AlInGa N MQWs are investigated by varying the excitation power density and temperature through comparing with those of the InGaN/GaN MQWs. The integral PL intensity of InGaN/AlInGaN MQWs is over 3 times higher than that of InGaN/GaN MQWs at room temperature under the highest excitation power. Temperature-dependent PL further demonstrates that the internal quantum efficiency of InGaN/AlInGaN MQWs(76.1%) is much higher than that of InGaN/GaN MQWs(21%).The improved luminescence performance of InGaN/AlInGaN MQWs can be attributed to the distinct reduction of the barrier-well lattice mismatch and the strain-induced non-radiative recombination centers.     

Improved efficiency droop characteristics in an InGaN/GaN light-emitting diode with a novel designed last barrier structure

<正>In this study,the characteristics of nitride-based light-emitting diodes with different last barrier structures are analysed numerically.The energy band diagrams,electrostatic field near the last quantum barrier,carrier concentration in the quantum well,internal quantum efficiency,and light output power are systematically investigated.The simulation results show that the efficiency droop is markedly improved and the output power is greatly enhanced when the conventional GaN last barrier is replaced by an AlGaN barrier with Al composition graded linearly from 0 to 15% in the growth direction.These improvements are attributed to enhanced efficiencies of electron confinement and hole injection caused by the lower polarization effect at the last-barrier/electron blocking layer interface when the graded Al composition last barrier is used.     

Observation of large Zeeman splitting in GaGdN/AlGaN ferromagnetic semiconductor double quantum well superlattices

Symmetric GaGdN/AlGaN (Gd concentration: 2%) and GaN/AlGaN double quantum well superlattices (DQW-SLs) were grown by radio-frequency plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy on GaN (0001) templates. Atomic steps were observed on all the sample surfaces by atomic force microscope. X-ray diffraction θ/2θ scan curves exhibited well-defined satellite structures. Room temperature ferromagnetism was confirmed for the GaGdN/AlGaN DQW-SL samples by using alternating gradient magnetometer. Strong photoluminescence was observed from both GaGdN and GaN QWs at higher energy side of GaN excitonic peak. Magneto-photoluminescence spectra for GaGdN/AlGaN DQW-SL samples showed a large magnetic field dependence of the excitonic energy by applying a magnetic field up to 7 T. The observed strong redshift of excitonic PL indicated an enhancement of Zeeman splitting of the free carrier energy levels in magnetic GaGdN/AlGaN DQW-SL. Enhanced g-factor was estimated to be about 60 for GaGdN/AlGaN DQW-SL sample with QW thickness of 1 nm.     

Improvement of breakdown characteristics of an A1GaN/GaN HEMT with a U-type gate foot for millimeter-wave power application

<正>In this study,the physics-based device simulation tool Silvaco ATLAS is used to characterize the electrical properties of an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor(HEMT) with a U-type gate foot.The U-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMT mainly features a gradually changed sidewall angle,which effectively mitigates the electric field in the channel, thus obtaining enhanced off-state breakdown characteristics.At the same time,only a small additional gate capacitance and decreased gate resistance ensure excellent RF characteristics for the U-gate device.U-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are feasible through adjusting the etching conditions of an inductively coupled plasma system,without introducing any extra process steps.The simulation results are confirmed by experimental measurements.These features indicate that U-gate AlGaN/GaN HEMTs might be promising candidates for use in miltimeter-wave power applications.     

Influence of Schottky drain contacts on the strained AlGaN barrier layer of AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors

Rectangular Schottky drain AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) with different gate contact areas and conventional AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFETs as control were both fabricated with same size. It was found there is a significant difference between Schottky drain AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFETs and the control group both in drain series resistance and in two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) electron mobility in the gate-drain channel. We attribute this to the different influence of Ohmic drain contacts and Schottky drain contacts on the strained AlGaN barrier layer. For conventional AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFETs, annealing drain Ohmic contacts gives rise to a strain variation in the AlGaN barrier layer between the gate contacts and the drain contacts, and results in strong polarization Coulomb field scattering in this region. In Schottky drain AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFETs, the strain in the AlGaN barrier layer is distributed more regularly.     

Determination of the series resistance under the Schottky contacts of AlGaN/AlN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes

Rectangular AlGaN/AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) were fabricated, and the gate and the source of the HFETs consisted of AlGaN/AlN/GaN Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). Based on the measured forward current-voltage and the capacitance-voltage characteristics of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN SBDs, the series resistance under the Schottky contacts (R_S) was calculated using the method of power consumption, which has been proved to be valid. Finally, the method of power consumption for calculating R_S was successfully used to study the two-dimensional electron gas electron mobility for a series of circular AlGaN/AlN/GaN SBDs. It is shown that the series resistance under the Schottky contacts cannot be neglected and is important for analysing and characterizing the AlGaN/AlN/GaN SBDs and the AlGaN/AlN/GaN HFETs.     

Enhanced performance of GaN-based light-emitting diodes with InGaN/GaN superlattice barriers

GaN-based multiple quantum well light-emitting diodes （LEDs） with conventional and superlattice barriers have been investigated numerically. Simulation results demonstrate using InGaN/GaN superlattices as barriers can effectively enhance performances of the GaN-Based LEDs, mainly owing to the improvement of hole injection and transport among the MQW active region. Meanwhile, the improved electron capture decreases the electron leakage and alleviates the efficiency droop. The weak polarization field induced by the superlattice structure strengthens the intensity of the emission spectrum and leads to a blue-shift relative to the conventional one.     

高温AlN插入层对AlGaN/GaN异质结材料和HEMTs器件电学特性的影响

研究了在GaN缓冲层中插入40 nm厚高温AlN层的GaN外延层和AlGaN/GaN异质结材料, AlN插入层可以增加GaN层的面内压应力并提高AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管（HEMTs）的电学特性. 在精确测量布拉格衍射角的基础上定量计算了压应力的大小. 增加的压应力一方面通过增强GaN层的压电极化电场, 提高了AlGaN/GaN异质结二维电子气（2DEG）面密度, 另一方面使AlGaN势垒层对2DEG面密度产生的两方面影响相互抵消. 同时, 这种AlN插入层的采用降低了GaN与AlGaN层之间的 关键词： 高温AlN插入层 AlGaN/GaN异质结 二维电子气 应力     

Performance Improvement of GaN-Based Violet Laser Diodes

The influences of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells(MQWs) and AlGaN electron-blocking layers(EBL) on the performance of GaN-based violet laser diodes are investigated. Compared with the InGaN/GaN MQWs grown at two different temperatures, the same-temperature growth of InGaN well and GaN barrier layers has a positive effect on the threshold current and slope efficiency of laser diodes, indicating that the quality of MQWs is improved. In addition, the performance of GaN laser diodes could be further improved by increasing Al content in the AlGaN EBL due to the fact that the electron leakage current could be reduced by properly increasing the barrier height of AlGaN EBL. The violet laser diode with a peak output power of 20 W is obtained.     

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

Blue InGaN light-emitting diodes （LEDs） with a conventional electron blocking layer （EBL）, a common n-A1GaN hole blocking layer （HBL）, and an n-A1GaN HBL with gradual A1 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-AIGaN HBL with gradual AI composition exhibit better hole injection efficiency, lower electron leakage, and a smaller electrostatic field in the active region than LEDs with a conven tional p-A1GaN EBL or a common n-A1GaN HBL. Meanwhile, the efficiency droop is alleviated when an n-A1GaN HBL with gradual A1 composition is used.