Impacts of p-GaN layer thickness on the photoelectric and thermal performance of AlGaN-based deep-UV LEDs

• Published in: Optics express 2023-10, Vol.31 (22), p.36547-36556
• Main Authors: Li, Saijun, Shen, Meng-Chun, Lai, Shouqiang, Dai, Yurong, Chen, Jinlan, Zheng, Lijie, Zhu, Lihong, Chen, Guolong, Lin, Su-Hui, Peng, Kang-Wei, Chen, Zhong, Wu, Tingzhu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1094-4087; 1094-4087
• DOI: 10.1364/OE.503964

The effects of different p-GaN layer thickness on the photoelectric and thermal properties of AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs) were investigated. The results revealed that appropriate thinning of the p-GaN layer enhances the photoelectric performance and thermal stability of DUV-LEDs, reducing current crowding effects that affect the external quantum efficiency and chip heat dissipation. The ABC +  f (n) model was used to analyse the EQE, which helped in identifying the different physical mechanisms for DUV-LEDs with different p-GaN layer thickness. Moreover, the finite difference time domain simulation results revealed that the light-extraction efficiency of the DUV-LEDs exhibits a trend similar to that of damped vibration as the thickness of the p-GaN layer increases. The AlGaN-based DUV-LED with a p-GaN layer thickness of 20 nm exhibited the best photoelectric characteristics and thermal stability.