Carrier dynamics in blue, cyan, and green InGaN/GaN LEDs measured by small-signal electroluminescence

We study the carrier dynamics for c-plane InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with various emission wavelengths near the green gap using a small-signal electroluminescence method. The LEDs were grown by Lumileds using state-of-the-art growth conditions. Radiative and non-radiative recombination rates are numerically separated, and the carrier recombination lifetime and carrier density are obtained. Experiment shows that the causes of efficiency reduction at longer wavelength in the present structures are injection efficiency decrease, radiative recombination rate decrease, and imbalance of the increase in Auger-Meitner and radiative terms due to the interplay between the carrier-current density relationship and the quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE). The effects of QCSE, phase-space filling, and the carrier-current density relationship on efficiency reduction at longer wavelengths are examined separately with experimental data and Schrodinger-Poisson calculations. In addition, we confirm the scaling law between C n and B n under electrical injection and find that the increase in carrier density at a given current density is the primary cause for lower radiative efficiency at high current density in longer wavelength LEDs. Conversely, we do not observe a significant efficiency reduction at longer wavelengths from extrinsic material degradation.

Automated summary

In this study, carrier dynamics in c-plane InGaN/GaN LEDs with various emission wavelengths near the green gap were investigated using a small-signal electroluminescence method. The causes of efficiency reduction at longer wavelengths were identified as a decrease in injection efficiency, radiative recombination rate, and an imbalance in Auger-Meitner and radiative terms due to the interplay between carrier-current density relationship and quantum-confined Stark effect. The effects of QCSE, phase-space filling, and carrier-current density relationship on efficiency reduction were examined separately using experimental data and Schrodinger-Poisson calculations.