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Influence of Defects on Current Transport in GaN/InGaN Multiple Quantum Well Light-Emitting Diodes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

X. A. Cao ,
E. B. Stokes ,
S. F. LeBoeuf ,
P. M. Sandvik ,
J. Kretchmer  and
D. Walker
X. A. Cao
Affiliation:
Semiconductor Technology Laboratory, GE Research Center, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309
E. B. Stokes
Affiliation:
Semiconductor Technology Laboratory, GE Research Center, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309
S. F. LeBoeuf
Affiliation:
Semiconductor Technology Laboratory, GE Research Center, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309
P. M. Sandvik
Affiliation:
Semiconductor Technology Laboratory, GE Research Center, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309
J. Kretchmer
Affiliation:
Semiconductor Technology Laboratory, GE Research Center, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309
D. Walker
Affiliation:
Semiconductor Technology Laboratory, GE Research Center, One Research Circle, Niskayuna, NY 12309
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Abstract

We have studied the electrical and optical characteristics GaN/InGaN based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) grown on sapphire using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Strong correlation has been found between material quality and the mechanism of current transport through the wide-bandgap p-n junction. Tunneling behavior dominates throughout all injection regimes in the devices with high-density defects in the space-charge region, which act as deep-level carrier traps. The approximately current-squared dependence of light output at low currents indicates dominant nonradiative recombination in the active region. However, in a high quality LED diode, tunneling current is only a major contributor at low forward biases. At moderate biases, temperature dependent diffusion-recombination current has been identified as I0 exp(qV/1.6kT). In these devices, nonradiative recombination centers are saturated at current densities as low as 1.4×10-2 A/cm2.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 722: Symposia K/L – Materials and Devices for Optoelectronics and Photonics – Photonic Crystals-From Materials to Devices , 2002 , K2.3
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

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