Improvement of near-ultraviolet InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes by inserting an in situ rough SiNx interlayer in n-GaN layers

Near-ultraviolet 400-nm InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with and without an in situ rough SiNx interlayer inserted into the n-GaN underlying layer were grown on c-face sapphire substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Inserting the SiNx interlayer into the n-GaN underlying layer slightly reduced leakage current induced by reducing the defect density. Additionally, an enhancement of light extraction for the LED with a SiNx interlayer is expected because of the increased intensity of light scattered on the SiNx nanomask, changing the directions of propagation of light. Consequently, the emission efficiency of an LED with an in situ rough SiNx interlayer doubles that without a SiNx interlayer. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.