Low-Leakage Current Core-Shell AlGaN Nanorod LED Device Operating in the Ultraviolet-B Band

Despite the considerable potential of AlGaN-based ultraviolet-B light-emitting diodes (UV-B LEDs) in various applications such as phototherapy, UV curing, plant growth, and analytical technology, their development is still ongoing due to low luminescence efficiency. In this study, we introduced a novel epitaxial growth mechanism to effectively control the height and thickness of AlGaN multiple wells (MWs) on AlGaN nanorod structures using horizontal reactor-based metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). By adjusting the H2 carrier gas flow rate, we could control the growth boundary layer's thickness, successfully separating the AlGaN well and p-AlGaN layer from the substrate. Cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements confirmed the stability of the core-shell AlGaN quantum wells as a highly stable nonpolarized structure, with the wavelength peak remaining almost unchanged under various injection currents. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) provided clear evidence of differentiation, highlighting the distinct formation of the 275 nm AlGaN core and the 295 nm AlGaN shell structure. The developed AlGaN MW structure, characterized by these rectification features, not only demonstrated a significantly improved electroluminescence (EL) peak intensity but also exhibited a much lower leakage current compared to the conventional core-shell AlGaN structure. The newly proposed growth mechanism and advanced nonpolarized core-shell AlGaN structure are expected to serve as excellent alternatives for substantially enhancing the efficiency of the next generation of high-efficiency UV LEDs.

Near-IR emission of InGaN quasi-quantum dots on non-polar GaN nanowire structures

In group III-nitride based semiconductor structures, the incorporation of high-indium-composition InGaN has been severely limited by extremely inefficient strain-induced polarization fields and prohibitively large defect densities. So far, there is no clear approach to solve this issue. Here, we have shown a new approach to incorporate high concentrations of indium in the InGaN structure by using a non-polar quasi-quantum dot heterostructure. This unique epitaxial growth was achieved by integrating a 1-dimensional nanowire and a 0-dimensional quantum dot structure using an MOCVD system. The formation of a high-efficiency quantum-sliding heterostructure and high-quality nanowire structure was confirmed by FE-SEM and TEM measurements. Furthermore, it has been suggested that such a quantum-dot structure can dramatically improve radiative recombination through a new sliding bandgap mechanism. We also found that non-polar quantum dots can not only incorporate more indium than conventional multi-quantum well structures grown on the nanowire structure, but also significantly improve crystalline quality. The PL results verified that the wavelength of quantum dots fabricated on the nanowire structure can easily shift up to 913 nm. The first demonstration in the integration of nanowire and quantum dot structures will open a new avenue to break through the limitations of high indium incorporation in photonic semiconductor systems.

The synthesis of hybrid nanostructure comprising star-shaped GaN nanowires and Si nanoworms

Herein, we demonstrated a novel hybrid nanostructure comprising star-shaped GaN nanowires with Si nanoworms having drifting Au nanoparticles inside realized simultaneously.