Room temperature p-n ZnO blue-violet light-emitting diodes

ZnO p-n junction light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were fabricated on c-plane Al2O3 substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Gas mixture of N-2 and O-2 was used as the p-type dopant, by which the double-donor doping of N-2(O) can be avoided significantly. The fabricated p-type ZnO layers have a higher hole density and carrier mobility. The LEDs showed a very good rectification characteristic with a low threshold voltage of 4.0 V even at a temperature above 300 K. The LEDs can even emit intensive electroluminescence in the blue-violet region at the temperature of 350 K. The blue-violet emission was attributed to the donor-acceptor pair recombination at the p-type layer of the LED. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.