The influence of acceptor anneal temperature on the performance of InGaN/GaN quantum well light-emitting diodes

Thomson, John Duncan, Pope, Iestyn ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4104-0389, Smowton, Peter Michael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9105-4842, Blood, Peter, Lynch, R. J., Hill, G., Wang, T. and Parbrook, P. 2006. The influence of acceptor anneal temperature on the performance of InGaN/GaN quantum well light-emitting diodes. Journal of Applied Physics 99 (2) , 024507. 10.1063/1.2165405

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Abstract

Temperature-dependent measurements of the pulsed light-current characteristics of InGaN light-emitting diodes that were thermally annealed at different temperatures have been investigated. A distinct light output, at a fixed current density, with operating temperature arises where the light output increases as the operating temperature is reduced from 300 K, reaches a maximum, and then decreases with subsequent reductions of the operating temperature. We observe that light-emitting diodes thermally annealed at higher temperatures, which is believed to increase the number of electrically activated acceptors in the layers, have a lower light output below 300 K and the maximum light output shifts to higher operating temperatures. Measured absorption and emission spectra show that the thermal anneal process has not affected the structure of the quantum wells within these samples. The light output, for a fixed current density, has been simulated as a function of operating temperature, and we find that by changing the concentration of acceptor atoms, compensating donor atoms, and the hole mobility in the layers, the trends observed experimentally can be reproduced. On the basis of the simulations we find that the distinct behavior of the light output with operating temperature is due to the combination of Shockley-Reed-Hall recombination, at operating temperatures around 300 K, and electron drift leakage, at operating temperature below 300 K, and the increase of the acceptor concentration results in an increased electron drift leakage due to the change of the concomitant hole mobility. The simulations support the view that the experimental observations can be explained through changes of the acceptor concentration in the layers when the thermal anneal temperature is increased.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Subjects:	Q Science > QC Physics
Additional Information:	Pdf uploaded in accordance with publisher's policy at http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/0021-8979/ (accessed 21/02/2014).
Publisher:	American Institute of Physics
ISSN:	0021-8979
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2023 16:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/53205

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