Enhanced photoluminescence from photonic crystal-coated GaN LED wafers

This paper describes results of studies on photoluminescence from blue-emitting GaN LED wafers coated with a layer of synthetic opal photonic crystals. Commercial LED wafer material was used and samples were coated with thin films consisting of several layers of stacked spherical polystyrene balls. Various optical measurements were performed on these samples while they were excited with a 405 nm laser beam. Diffraction pattern due to the photonic crystal structure, showing the underlying six-fold symmetry, was recorded. The spectrum and angle-resolved intensity of photoluminescence were measured to understand the coupling of LED light with the grown photonic crystal structure on top of the wafer.