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López-Fraguas E, Binkowski F, Burger S, Hagedorn S, García-Cámara B, Vergaz R, Becker C, Manley P. Tripling the light extraction efficiency of a deep ultraviolet LED using a nanostructured p-contact. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11480. [PMID: 35798778 PMCID: PMC9262900 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15499-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite a wide array of applications, deep ultra-violet light emitting diodes offer relatively poor efficiencies compared to their optical counterparts. A contributing factor is the lower light extraction efficiency due to both highly absorbing p-contacts and total internal reflection. Here, we propose a structure consisting of a hexagonal periodic array of cylindrical nanoholes in the multi-layered p-contact which are filled with platinum. This nanostructure reduces the absorption of the p-contact layer, leading to a higher emission into the n-contact compared to a planar reference. An optimum geometry of the nanostructure allows a light extraction efficiency of 15.0%, much higher than the typical 4.6% of a planar reference. While the nanostructure strongly decreases the light absorption in the p-contact, it is still not able to considerably reduce the total internal reflection. Consequently, the nanostructured p-contact should be combined with other optical strategies, such as nanopatterned sapphire substrates to increase the efficiency even further. Despite this, the nanostructure described in this work provides a readily realizable path to enhancing the light extraction efficiency of state-of-the-art deep ultra-violet light emitting diodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo López-Fraguas
- GDAF-UC3M, Dep. Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avda. Universidad, 30., 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Felix Binkowski
- Zuse Institute Berlin, Berlin, Takustraße 7, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sven Burger
- Zuse Institute Berlin, Berlin, Takustraße 7, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- JCMwave GmbH, Bolivarallee 22, 14050, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sylvia Hagedorn
- Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH), Gustav-Kirchhoff-Str. 4, 12489, Berlin, Germany
| | - Braulio García-Cámara
- GDAF-UC3M, Dep. Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avda. Universidad, 30., 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo Vergaz
- GDAF-UC3M, Dep. Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avda. Universidad, 30., 28911, Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Christiane Becker
- Department Optics for Solar Energy, Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialen und Energie, Kekuléstr. 5, 12489, Berlin, Germany
| | - Phillip Manley
- Zuse Institute Berlin, Berlin, Takustraße 7, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- JCMwave GmbH, Bolivarallee 22, 14050, Berlin, Germany.
- Department Optics for Solar Energy, Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialen und Energie, Kekuléstr. 5, 12489, Berlin, Germany.
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