Degradation effects of the active region in UV-C light-emitting diodes

作者:Glaab Johannes*; Haefke Joscha; Ruschel Jan; Brendel Moritz; Rass Jens; Kolbe Tim; Knauer Arne; Weyers Markus; Einfeldt Sven; Guttmann Martin; Kuhn Christian; Enslin Johannes; Wernicke Tim; Kneissl Michael
来源:Journal of Applied Physics, 2018, 123(10): 104502.
DOI:10.1063/1.5012608

摘要

An extensive analysis of the degradation characteristics of AlGaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes emitting around 265 nm is presented. The optical power of LEDs stressed at a constant dc current of 100mA (current density = 67 A/cm(2) and heatsink temperature = 20 degrees C) decreased to about 58% of its initial value after 250 h of operation. The origin of this degradation effect has been studied using capacitance-voltage and photocurrent spectroscopy measurements conducted before and after aging. The overall device capacitance decreased, which indicates a reduction of the net charges within the space-charge region of the pn-junction during operation. In parallel, the photocurrent at excitation energies between 3.8 eV and 4.5 eV and the photocurrent induced by band-to-band absorption in the quantum barriers at 5.25 eV increased during operation. The latter effect can be explained by a reduction of the donor concentration in the active region of the device. This effect could be attributed to the compensation of donors by the activation or diffusion of acceptors, such as magnesium dopants or group-III vacancies, in the pn-junction space-charge region. The results are consistent with the observed reduction in optical power since deep level acceptors can also act as non-radiative recombination centers. Published by AIP Publishing.

  • 出版日期2018-3-14