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Nonradiative recombination rate that consists of dislocation‐related nonradiative recombination rate (A0) and surface recombination rate (As) is one of the major parameters determining the performance of microlight‐emitting diodes (µLEDs). Recent demonstrations improving the efficiency of blue InGaN or red AlGaInP µLEDs using specific methods such as atomic layer deposition or chemical treatment confirm the suppression of As. However, it is hardly found that those methods effectively improve the efficiency of red InGaN µLEDs so far. Here, it is discovered that the dislocation leads to an ineffective As. First, an intrinsic As degrades the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of blue InGaN µLEDs, resulting in EQE decreases with shrinking size. Second, panchromatic cathodoluminescence finds evidence that most of the carriers can be trapped before reaching the sidewall due to high A0. This results in shortened diffusion length of carriers and reduces the number of carriers reaching the sidewall. Consequently, the opposite trend of increasing EQE with shrinking size occurs in the case of red InGaN µLEDs due to an ineffective As. Furthermore, an 8.3 nm quantum well of InGaN with 13% Indium content that can reach a ≈690 nm wavelength at the low current is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AlN‐based field‐effect transistors (FETs) enable high‐breakdown voltage, high drain current, and high‐temperature operation. To realize high‐frequency devices, N‐polar AlGaN/AlN heterostructure FETs are focused on. N‐polar Al0.1Ga0.9N/Al0.9Ga0.1N/AlN FET is fabricated using metal–organic vapor‐phase epitaxy, and its electrical characteristics are evaluated. An N‐polar AlN layer is grown on a sapphire substrate with a misorientation angle of 2.0° toward m‐axis, on which a 20 nm thick Al0.9Ga0.1N base layer and a 20 nm Al0.1Ga0.9N channel layer are grown. The static FET operation is confirmed to exhibit an n‐channel and pinch‐off. Normally, during operation with a turn‐on voltage of −3.2 V, a high operating breakdown voltage of 620 V and high operating temperature of 280 °C are also confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metal stop laser drilling of GaN‐on‐GaN devices is demonstrated using a UV sub‐nanosecond laser as a light source. By monitoring the Bremsstrahlung emission at the drilling point, metal stops with a precision higher than 1 μm are realized for vias with a depth of 100 μm. From in situ laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy measurements, it is shown that endpoint detection is realized with high signal‐to‐noise ratio owing to the difference in the emission process between the strongly excited semiconductor and the metal. Herein, a through‐substrate electrode with a resistance of less than 5 mΩ on GaN‐on‐GaN high‐electron‐mobility transistor (HEMT) wafers is demonstrated. The fabrication of through‐substrate electrodes by this technique provides a simple process that does not require lithography or other complex processes. This process is expected to be useful in the fabrication of future GaN‐on‐GaN devices, including very thin GaN‐on‐GaN HEMTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sidewall condition is a key factor determining the performance of micro‐light emitting diodes (µLEDs). In this study, equilateral triangular III‐nitride blue µLEDs are prepared with exclusively m‐plane sidewall surfaces to confirm the impact of sidewall conditions. It is found that inductively coupled plasma‐reactive ion etching (ICP‐RIE) causes surface damages to the sidewall and results in rough surface morphology. As confirmed by time‐resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) and X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) eliminates the etching damage and flattens the sidewall surface. After ICP‐RIE, 100 µm2‐µLEDs yield higher external quantum efficiency (EQE) than 400 µm2‐µLEDs. However, after TMAH treatment, the peak EQE of 400 µm2‐µLEDs increases by ≈10% in the low current regime, whereas that of 100 µm2‐µLEDs slightly decreases by ≈3%. The EQE of the 100 µm2‐µLEDs decreases after TMAH treatment although the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) increases. Further, the IQE of the 100 µm2‐µLEDs before and after TMAH treatment is insignificant at temperatures below 150 K, above which it becomes considerable. Based on PL, XPS, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy results, mechanisms for the size dependence of the EQE of µLEDs are explained in terms of non‐radiative recombination rate and light extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the operation of dopant‐free GaN‐based p‐n junctions formed by distributed polarization doping (DPD) is experimentally demonstrated and their space charge profiles and carrier transport properties are investigated. The device exhibits ideal space charge profiles explained by polarization effects and demonstrates the excellent controllability of DPD. In addition, it shows rectification and electroluminescence under forward‐biased conditions. The carrier transport properties could be explained by the conventional recombination/diffusion model used for impurity‐doped p‐n junctions. Repeatable breakdowns are also observed in all devices and the temperature‐dependent breakdown voltages reveal that the breakdowns are caused by avalanche multiplication, which is also the same as those reported in impurity‐doped GaN p‐n diodes. These results indicate that DPD is a promising doping technology for GaN‐based power devices overcoming any issues associated with conventional impurity doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of III‐nitride electronics and photonics is of great interest toward future computing systems with low power consumption. Multifunctioning multiple quantum well (MQW) diodes can address the challenging issue for on‐chip integration of a light source, which is a key component to drive the photonic circuits. Herein, a transmitter, waveguide, modulator, and receiver are monolithically integrated on a III‐nitride‐on‐silicon platform to perform light emission, transmission, modulation, and detection simultaneously. Both the receiver and modulator exhibit sufficient sensitivity to optical signals from the transmitter, which has an identical InGaN/AlGaN multiple quantum well (MQW) structure because the III‐nitride diode provides spectral overlap between the emission and absorption spectra. On‐chip data communication among these optical components is achieved using light, and the effective wavelength range is from 365 to 385 nm, in which multifunctional devices can be operated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typical light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) have a form factor >(300 × 300) µm2. Such LEDs are commercially mature in illumination and ultralarge displays. However, recent LED research includes shrinking individual LED sizes from side lengths >300 µm to values <100 µm, leading to devices called micro‐LEDs. Their advent creates a number of exciting new application spaces. Here, a review of the principles and applications of micro‐LED technology is presented. In particular, the implications of reduced LED size in necessitating mitigation strategies for nonradiative device edge damage as well as the potential for higher drive current densities are discussed. The opportunities to integrate micro‐LEDs with electronics, and into large‐scale arrays, allow pixel addressable scalable integrated displays, while the small micro‐LED size is ideal for high‐speed modulation for visible light communication, and for integration into biological systems as part of optogenetic therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of phase‐separated MgZnO induced by heat treatment are investigated, because the electrical conductivity of MgZnO deposited by sputtering can be improved by heat treatment. The absorption edge shows a red shift, but the transmittance in the ultraviolet (UV)‐C region increases after heat treatment. This is due to the formation of wurtzite (WZ) MgZnO with a high Zn content and a rock salt (RS) structure with a low Zn content induced by phase separation. This suggests that the current path is formed by the WZ crystals with low resistivity, and the transmittance in the UV region is increased by the RS crystals with high transmittance. It is confirmed that the RS structure is partially mixed with the WZ crystal in the in‐plane direction. In contrast, different distributions of crystals are observed in the stacking direction. A WZ structure is formed after RS‐MgZnO is formed on the substrate interface. It is found that Mg is incorporated into the RS structure by heat treatment, and Mg‐rich MgZnO is formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxygen incorporation kinetics of vicinal m(10−10) gallium nitride (GaN) growth during metal‐organic vapor phase epitaxy is clarified using a diffusion equation‐based approach that incorporates diffusion potentials obtained by large‐scale density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A diffusion model based on the Burton, Cabrera and Frank (BCF) theory is proposed, and then, the oxygen concentration in the epitaxial films is calculated quantitatively. The calculation results agree with the experimental tendency that the oxygen concentration in the −c 5° off m‐GaN epilayers is lower than that in the +c 5° off m‐GaN epilayers. Then, the off‐angle dependence of oxygen incorporation in vicinal m‐GaN growth is predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, gallium nitride (GaN) samples implanted with magnesium (Mg) and fluorine (F) ions are investigated by photoluminescence (PL) measurements. In low‐temperature PL measurements, the characteristic green luminescence (GL) band attributable to nitrogen vacancies (VN) is observed in Mg‐ion‐implanted GaN. As VN are likely to act as donors, suppressing their formation is essential to realizing p‐type conductivity. The energy required for a F impurity to replace VN in GaN and eventually form F on a N site decreases when the Fermi level approaches the valence band maximum, and therefore F is employed as a subsequent implantation element to compensate for VN. The GL band peak disappears upon implanting Mg and F ions at a high temperature and adjusting the F concentration to an appropriate value. This result suggests that VN generated by Mg ion implantation can be suppressed using an element with a lower formation energy than that of VN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a newly developed birefringence microscope is used to observe dislocations in gallium nitride (GaN) substrates. The comparison results of the observation method using this microscope with other observation methods, such as X‐ray topography and Raman microscopy, confirms that dislocations in a GaN substrate can be detected with a birefringence microscope. In addition, the observation can be carried out as easily as with an optical microscope. It is also found that under certain observation conditions, the direction of the edge component of dislocations can be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of unintentional impurities in m‐plane ( 10 1 ¯ 0 ) GaN homoepitaxial layers is demonstrated by using nitrogen (N2), as opposed to hydrogen (H2), as carrier gas in metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis shows that the impurity levels of residual oxygen (O), carbon (C), and silicon (Si) are decreased by nearly one order of magnitude in N2‐grown samples. Although the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values for the on‐axis m‐plane X‐ray rocking curves of all specimens are quite similar (around 50 arcsec), plan‐view scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) measurements reveal a clear reduction of dislocation densities in N2‐grown films. Their origin is likely related to an initial surface roughening with H2 carrier gas, which also causes surface faceting resulting in the formation of large four‐sided pyramidal hillocks, while using N2 results in smoother surfaces. Hence, MOVPE growth with N2 carrier gas is an effective method to lower the impurity incorporation in m‐plane GaN materials in addition to reducing the formation of defects and improving the surface morphology, which can enable the development of high‐performance GaN‐based devices on non‐polar surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main chain structure of optically isotropic amorphous fluorine resin for encapsulating AlGaN‐based deep‐ultraviolet LEDs (λ < 300 nm) is studied. One type of amorphous fluorine resin has a five‐membered ring with a single oxygen atom and the other has that one with two oxygen atoms. Reliability testing is performed using AlGaN‐based LEDs of 262 and 289 nm. For the resin with two oxygen atoms in the ring, visible damage to the electrode and significantly increased leakage current are considered to been caused by the photolysis of the ring induced by irradiation with deep‐ultraviolet light. In contrast, electrode damage and increased leakage are not observed in the case of the resin with the single‐oxygen ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial layer with a low density of threading dislocations is successfully grown on a silicon substrate by using in situ gas etching. Silicon nitride (SiNx) film is used as a mask, and ammonia is intermittently supplied in hydrogen ambient during the etching. After etching, high‐density deep pits appeared on the surface of a GaN template layer and corresponded to the threading dislocations in the layer. In this novel method, before growing an additional GaN layer on the template GaN layer, a second SiNx layer is deposited after the etching process, and this layer prevents GaN nuclei from growing on the upper side‐walls of the pits. By using this method, the density of threading dislocations of the GaN surface is reduced to 6.7 × 107 cm−2. This method is cost effective, completing all the necessary processes in one growth run without taking samples out from a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, GaN m‐plane Schottky barrier diodes are fabricated by metalorganic vapor‐phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on several off‐angle gallium nitride (GaN) substrates, and the off‐cut angle dependence of impurity incorporation is investigated. We show that the MOVPE layer on the substrate inclined 5° toward the [000–1] direction has extremely low impurity incorporation. These results provide important suggestions for the fabrication of m‐plane power devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Some studies have found that sex can affect the clinical results after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. We hypothesized that sex would significantly affect the healing of the postoperative patellar tendon. This study evaluated the patellar tendon after bone–patellar tendon–bone autograft harvest, specifically with regard to sex‐dependent differences. Methods: At 6 months postoperatively, an ultrasonographic evaluation was performed. We measured the residual donor site gap width between tendon tissues and the thickness of newly formed nontendinous tissue in the gap. In addition, the cross‐sectional area of tendon tissue was measured. The ratios between the operated and contralateral sides were calculated, and the sexes were compared. A paired Student t test was performed, with P < .05 considered statistically significant. Results: The population of 52 patients (32 male and 20 female) had a mean age ± SD of 23 ± 8 years. We observed no significant sex‐dependent differences in the residual donor site gap and the thickness of newly formed nontendinous tissue when calculating ratios to the contralateral tendon. The mean cross‐sectional area of tendon tissue was 101 ± 26 mm2 (male, 114 ± 26 mm2; female, 80 ± 16 mm2). When the ratios to the contralateral tendon were calculated, male patients had significantly higher cross‐sectional area ratios than female patients (male, 124% ± 20%; female, 100% ± 19%, P = .024). Conclusions: We have reported a dramatic increase in the cross‐sectional area of patellar tendon tissue during the first 6 months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a bone–patellar tendon–bone autograft, which was more prominent in male patients than in female patients. This difference might have contributed to the sex‐dependent variation in clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, by using time-of-flight (TOF) high-resolution and high-sensitivity mass spectrometry measurements, the decomposition of trimethylgallium into dimethylgallium and monomethylgallium along with its adduct formation with NHx in a commercially available horizontal metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) reactor with a resistive heater was investigated and observed in more detail than previously reported. The results confirmed the use of the TOF monitoring system in analyzing the elementary reaction process in actual MOVPE systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injecting current with a uniform carrier concentration is important for applications with three-dimensional architectures such as vertical power devices or displays. In III-nitride nanostructures, dopants not only incorporate differently depending on the surface orientation but can also seriously affect the kinetic equilibrium shapes of the nanorods. Herein, we report selective-area growth of doped GaN nanorods grown by pulsed-mode metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Two dopants, Si and Mg, were employed as donor and acceptor atoms, respectively, for a mono-doping approach. Furthermore, a mixed flow of Si and Mg was supplied for a co-doping approach. We compared the morphological effects and growth rates of each doped GaN nanorod array. Then, we proposed appropriate growth mechanisms for the doped GaN nanorods on the basis of our structural characterizations. These results might extend the morphological functionality of GaN nanorods by including doping and may also provide an appropriate foundation for the design of nanostructure-based electronic or photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the influence of crystal defects on p-type GaN grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Sets of p-type GaN films were grown on sapphire substrates and on free-standing GaN (F-GaN) substrates simultaneously using various Et-Cp2Mg flow rates. Although there is a difference of two orders of magnitude between the threading dislocation densities of p-type GaN grown on sapphire and F-GaN substrates, there is no significant difference in hole concentration. However, there are problems with the surface morphology of p-type GaN grown on sapphire. The deterioration of the surface was caused by the difference in nanopipe density. The electrical properties of a p-n junction diode formed on sapphire with a high density of nanopipes were observed using emission microscopy under both forward- and reverse-bias conditions. Our results demonstrate that the nanopipes are electrically inactive, and that other types of threading dislocation have more influence on the current-voltage characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, GaN m-plane Schottky barrier diodes fabricated with a metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy on a GaN substrate were investigated using emission microscope, photoluminescence, and cathodoluminescence. In addition, facet dependence of leakage current under reverse-biased condition was observed. We showed that the leakage-current distribution was caused by the facet dependence of the carrier concentration and oxygen concentration. These results can provide important suggestions for the fabrication of m-plane devices. (a) four-faceted hillocks on m-plane GaN MOVPE sample, facet dependence of (b) leakage current and (c) PL peak intensity of the m-plane GaN Schottky barrier diode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spider mites Tetranychus urticae Koch and Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida ( Acari: Tetranychidae) overwinter mostly as mated adult diapausing females. Their overwintering survival depends in part on their dispersal towards suitable habitats. We investigated the dispersal behaviour of diapausing females of T. urticae and T. kanzawai with respect to factors known to affect the dispersal of non-diapausing mites: light, population density, gravity, and humidity. In general, diapausing females of T. urticae showed a stronger tendency to disperse than did those of T. kanzawai under all test conditions. High population density promoted the dispersal of diapausing T. urticae, but not of T. kanzawai. Dispersal of diapausing females of both species was not significantly affected by gravity, humidity, or whether feeding damage was caused by conspecifics or heterospecifics. On plants, more T. urticae than T. kanzawai moved downward. We propose that dispersal after the onset of diapause may be an important life-history strategy in T. urticae, but not in T. kanzawai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the factors affecting stress tolerance in phytoseiid mites is critical for their integration into biological control programs. In the present study, the effects of diet (varying in prey species, physiological status and phenotype) are examined on the future starvation tolerance of the predatorymite Neoseiulus californicus McGregor (Acari: Phytoseiidae). The predators are fed from egg to adulthood on diapausing or nondiapausing Tetranychus urticae, Tetranychus kanzawai (wild and albino strains) or the nondiapausing species Panonychus citri (wild and albino strains). Thereafter, 3-day-old mated adult females are held without food at 25±1 °C and a relative humidity of 98±2%. The survival of these starved females is observed daily until all females have died. The survival curves and mean survival times of N. californicus are found to vary among prey types and are significantly longer when the predator is fed with diapausing prey. This enhanced survival is consistent with high concentrations of glycogen and triacylglyceride in the body of the predator at the onset of starvation. The predators fed nondiapausing prey have shorter survival times, and the glycogen and triacylglyceride contents in their bodies are low or undetectable. The protein contents of the predator's body are similar after consuming different prey types, except for a high concentration when fed the albino strain of P. citri. Protein content is unlikely to play a direct role in starvation tolerance, although it may affect the response to varying glycogen and triacylglyceride levels. These findings indicate that nutritional value of prey has a strong impact on the starvation tolerance of N. californicus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dieser Aufsatz ist eine persönliche Schilderung der Forschungsarbeiten, die zur Entwicklung einer Methode zur Kristallzüchtung von Galliumnitrid (GaN) auf einem Saphir-Substrat führten. Die Ergebnisse bereiteten den Weg für die Entwicklung von smarten Anzeigesystemen auf der Basis blauer LEDs. Die wichtigsten Arbeiten wurden Mitte bis Ende der 80er Jahre durchgeführt. Die Hintergründe der Arbeiten des Autors und die Ereignisse, die in der Technologie für die GaN-Züchtung und die Erzeugung von p-GaN resultierten, werden zusammengefasst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Review is a personal reflection on the research that led to the development of a method for growing gallium nitride (GaN) on a sapphire substrate. The results paved the way for the development of smart display systems using blue LEDs. The most important work was done in the mid to late 80s. The background to the author's work and the process by which the technology that enables the growth of GaN and the realization of p-type GaN was established are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a personal history of one of the Japanese researchers engaged in developing a method for growing GaN on a sapphire substrate, paving the way for the realization of smart television and display systems using blue LEDs. The most important work was done in the mid to late 1980s. The background to the author's work and the process by which the technology enabling the growth of GaN and the realization of p-type GaN was established are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical characteristics of a variety of Schottky contacts formed with ten metal species on the a-plane of p-type low-Mg-doped GaN grown on r-plane sapphire substrates were studied. We found that while current-voltage characteristics obtained under voltage scanning show no memory effect in samples formed on a-plane samples on c-plane showed a substantial memory effects. We consider that the absence of memory effect in the a-plane p-GaN samples is originating from a smaller density of interfacial defect than that in the c-plane p-GaN samples. In internal photoemission spectra, we observed two linearly increasing portions suggesting two different Schottky barriers with different heights coexisting in a contact. A potential barrier corresponding to a linear increase locating at lower photon energy typically ranged between 1.6 and 2.5 eV; and that corresponding to another linear increase locating at higher energy ranged between 0.7 and 1.7. The barrier heights showed no relevance to metal work function. The a-plane GaN surface was found to reveal a lamellar structure with stripes along [0001] direction with a randomly oriented roughness. We thus speculate that contact barrier spatially varies according to the different crystal plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optical properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) have been studied by means of photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectroscopy. The radiative and nonradiative recombination lifetimes were evaluated as a function of the excitation energy density. The radiative recombination lifetime decreased and subsequently reached a nearly constant value with increasing excitation energy density, which was attributed to screening of internal electric fields by photoexcited carriers. On the other hand, the nonradiative recombination lifetime increased and subsequently decreased with increasing excitation energy density. The initial increase in the nonradiative recombination lifetime could be attributed to saturation of nonradiative recombination centers with photoexcited carriers. The nonradiative recombination lifetime was found to decrease to a considerably weaker extent than that expected for the Auger recombination process of free carriers. This indicated that the decrease in the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) at high carrier densities could not be explained only by the Auger recombination process of free carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the influence of polarization charges in nitride-based semiconductors. The influence due to polarization charges was calculated excluding the influences of the band offset. We found that the polarization charges (1 × 1013 cm−2) resulted in an energy spike of more than 100 meV at the location of the charges, which is a similar value to the band offset. We then proposed the concept of polarization dilution to suppress the energy spike for better hole transport by using a graded Mg-doped AlGaN layer in UV-LEDs. Device simulation results indicate lower operating voltage and higher injection efficiency by using the polarization dilution. So far, our actual 350 nm LED with the polarization dilution showed lower operating voltage. These results suggested such polarization-charge management is important in the design of the nitride semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recombination dynamics and internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of green luminescent InGaN nanowires with different crystalline qualities have been studied by means photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL spectroscopy. Temperature- and excitation-power-density-dependent PL spectroscopy enabled to evaluate the IQE as a function of excitation power density. The shape of the efficiency curves at low temperature strongly depended on the magnitude of nonradiative recombination processes. This leads to the misestimation of the IQE in the lower quality nanowire. In addition, the PL decay curves were well described by a double exponential function both at 6 and 300 K. The PL decay time of the faster component was affected by nonradiative recombination processes even at low temperature. This indicated that the radiative recombination lifetime cannot be estimated from the PL decay time in the lower quality nanowire. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of GaN/GaInN single quantum wells (SQWs) were grown on c-plane GaN/sapphire templates using metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and atomic layer epitaxy (ALE). The structural information on the interfaces and surfaces was obtained by fitting the experimental X-ray spectra and was compared between MOVPE and ALE mode. The X-ray crystal truncation rod (CTR) scattering measurement results showed that the samples grown by ALE had sharper interfaces than those grown by MOVPE. Both the X-ray reflectivity (XRR) curve-fitting results and atomic force microscope (AFM) results indicated that the surfaces of the ALE-grown SQWs were smoother than those of MOVPE-grown SQWs. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we have aimed to improve the light extraction efficiency by using p- and n- high-reflectivity indium tin oxide (ITO)/Al electrodes with a reflectivity of ∼77% at 350 nm, laser lift-off (LLO) method, and silicone sealing. By a combination of these three methods, the light output power and operating voltage of UV LEDs were improved to 23.8 mW and 6.6 V at 100 mA. Furthermore, the external quantum efficiency and light extraction efficiency were improved to 6.6 and 25.3% at 100 mA. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve both the reduction of threading dislocation density (TDD) and the enhancement of light extraction efficiency (LEE) of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a two-directional stripe-patterned sapphire substrate (TPSS) was fabricated. First, a stripe pattern parallel to the a-axis of Al2O3 was formed on an as-received c -sapphire wafer and then a second stripe pattern rotated around 3° from the m-axis of Al2O3 was formed on the first stripe PSS. The light output power of TPSS LEDs was around 1.25 times higher than that of LEDs on a flat sapphire substrate. This enhancement is caused by the increase of both the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and the LEE. On the other hand, although the LED on TPSS with the second stripe just parallel to the m-axis of Al2O3 showed a similar enhancement ratio of the light output power, the current leakage of this LED increased with the concentration of threading dislocations on the surface of LEDs. Stripes rotated 3° from the m-axis of Al2O3 changed the growth mode and realized GaN films with a smooth surface without pit formation. Therefore, the misalignment of the stripe from the m-axis of Al2O3 will become a new design parameter for realizing high-efficiency reliable LEDs. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Humidity-controlled cold storage, in which the water vapour pressure is saturated, can prolong the survival of the predatory mites Neoseiulus californicus ( McGregor) and Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae). However, information on the optimum air temperature for long-term storage by this method is limited. The authors evaluated the survival of mated adult females of N. californicus and P. persimilis at 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 12.5 °C under saturated water vapour condition (vapour pressure deficit 0.0 kPa). RESULTS N. californicus showed a longer survival time than P. persimilis at all the air temperatures. The longest mean survival time of N. californicus was 11 weeks at 7.5 °C, whereas that of P. persimilis was 8 weeks at 5.0 °C. After storage at 7.5 °C for 8 weeks, no negative effect on post-storage oviposition was observed in N. californicus, whereas the oviposition of P. persimilis stored at 5.0 °C for 8 weeks was significantly reduced. CONCLUSION The interspecific variation in the response of these predators to low air temperature might be attributed to their natural habitat and energy requirements. These results may be useful for the long-term storage of these predators, which is required for cost-effective biological control. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated dislocation density dependence on stimulated emission characteristics of AlGaN/AlN multiquantum wells (MQWs: emission wavelength of approximately 285 nm) on AlN templates with various dislocation densities. We found that the stimulated emission characteristics of the deep UV MQWs were strongly dependent on the dislocation densities. A reduction of the dislocation densities is very important in order to realize good stimulated emission characteristics of deep UV MQWs. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-temperature-deposited (LT-) AlN layers and the initial growth of GaN on a- and c-sapphire have been investigated and compared. The as-deposited LT-AlN layers on both a- and c-sapphire are composed of high-density islands. By annealing, the islands become large. The density of islands on a- and c-sapphire are 5.6 × 1010 and 7.9 × 1010 cm-2, respectively, indicating that the evolution of the solid phase epitaxy of AlN islands induced by annealing is different on a- and c-sapphire. The moiré spacings obtained by plan-view electron microscopy reveal that the strain of the AlN islands on a-sapphire is larger than that of islands on c-sapphire. These results imply that development of the solid phase epitaxy is influenced by the strain. The coalescence of GaN islands grown on a-sapphire, which has larger AlN islands, is advanced compared with that of islands on c-sapphire. The relationship between the annealed AlN island density and the threading dislocation (TD) density in the GaN films is investigated on a- and c-sapphire. The TD density of the GaN films is small when the density of annealed AlN islands is low. These results indicate that decreasing the island density of the annealed AlN layers is essential for improving the crystalline quality of GaN films. It is therefore important to control the solid phase epitaxy of LT-AlN layers by annealing. (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]