Surface plasmon enhanced UV emission in AlGaN/GaN quantum well

The surface plasmon (SP) energy for resonant enhancement of light has shown to be modified by the epitaxial substrate and the overlying metal thin film. The modification of SP energy in AlGaN/GaN epitaxial layers is studied using spectroscopic ellipsometry for enhanced UV-light emission. Silver induced SP can be extended to the UV wavelength range by increasing the aluminum concentration in Al(x)Ga(1-x)N epilayer. A threefold increase in the UV-light emission is observed from AlGaN/GaN quantum well due to silver induced SP. Photoluminescence lifetime measurements confirm the resonant plasmon induced increase in Purcell factor as observed from the PL intensity measurements. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3515419]