Two different structures of AlGaN/InGaN ultraviolet (UV) multiple quantum wells (MQWs) were grown in a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system, and their performance under optically pumped stimulated emission were experimentally investigated. During the MOCVD epitaxial growth of the AlGaN/InGaN MQWs, the growth rate of the AlGaN quantum barriers (QBs) was intentionally reduced to improve the surface morphology. Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) images show that the AlGaN QBs have a smooth surface with clear step flow patterns. The surface morphology of InGaN QWs was improved by thermal annealing effect when the growth temperature rose to the one of the AlGaN QBs. With optical confinement layers on both the n- and p-sides, the threshold pumping power density of optical stimulated emission for AlGaN/InGaN MQWs was determined to be 168 kW/cm2. In order to reduce the negative effect of the interface between AlGaN QBs and InGaN QWs, another MQW structure with a larger quantum well thickness was designed and epitaxial grown. The optical investigation of sample B showed a threshold pumping power density of 124 kW/cm2, which is 26% lower than sample A.
We report III-N surface-emitting resonant-cavity light-emitting diodes (RCLEDs) at λ = 375 nm using a novel hybridmirror approach. The hybrid mirrors consist of 5 pairs of air-gap/AlGaN distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) at the bottom side of the vertical cavity and HfO2/SiO2 dielectric DBR (DDBR) on the top to facilitate the formation of a resonant cavity for nitride-based surface light emitting diodes. The air-gap/AlGaN DBR replaces the conventional thick stack of semiconductor DBR to achieve high reflectivity. Hybrid-mirror III-N RCLEDs with airgap/AlGaN DBR mirror were fabricated and the results showed that the III-N RCLEDs achieved high current density operation up to 40 kA/cm2 with a peak emission wavelength atλ = 375 nm and a full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) of 9.3 nm at room temperature.
Optically pumped VCSELs with a 1λ thick optical cavity lasing at 375 nm have been demonstrated using a pulsed 248 nm KrF excimer laser source. To realize a high-reflectivity mirror on the bottom of the cavity, five-period airgap/ Al0.05Ga0.95N DBRs with a large refractive index contrast have been employed while the top mirror was formed by dielectric DBRs consisting of twelve pairs HfO2/SiO2. The lowest threshold incident power density measured at room temperature was estimated to be ~270 kW/cm2. The achieved optically pumped VCSEL demonstrates the possibility that the airgap/AlxGa1-xN DBRs can be used as a mirror for injection laser devices.
Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are known to have advantages of lower threshold current operation, circular and low-divergence output beam, and lower temperature sensitivity compared to edge-emitting laser diodes. In conventional VCSELs, the formation of a current aperture plays a vital role in the device characteristics. Low laser thresholds and single-transverse-mode operation would not be possible without a well-defined current aperture to confine carriers to generate photons between the two distributed Bragg reflectors. Since the introduction of the controlled oxidation process for the AlxGa1-xAs material system by Dallesasse and Holonyak in 1989, most VCSELs have employed oxidation for current aperture formation as well as optical confinement and this technique has become one of the most commonly used fabrication techniques for traditional III-V compound semiconductor infrared VCSELs. However, for III-N emitters operating at wavelengths in the ultraviolet to green wavelength range, the formation of Al-based native oxide layers has not proven feasible. As a result, various current-confinement techniques have been studied such as, selective-area growth of buried AlN, oxidizing AlInN, and selective activation of acceptors.
In this work, we report an ion-implantation process which is effective for carrier confinement and defines a current aperture for our III-N ultraviolet microcavity light-emitting diodes (MCLEDs). The devices have peak emission wavelength of ~371.4 nm with the spectral linewidth of 5.1 nm at the highest pulsed current injection level of 15 kA/cm2. Further discussion on the material growth, material characterization, implantation parameters, as well as numerical simulation for structural design will be presented in the conference.
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