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Multiresistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cause serious postoperative infections. A skin tolerant far-UVC (2. MRSA bacteria in different concentrations on blood agar plates were inactivated with irradiation doses in the range of 15–40 mJ/cm2. Porcine skin irradiated with a dose of 40 mJ/cm2 at 233 nm showed only 3.7% CPD and 2.3% 6-4PP DNA damage. Corresponding irradiation at 254 nm caused 11–14 times higher damage. Thus, the skin damage caused by the disinfectant doses is so small that it can be expected to be compensated by the skin's natural repair mechanisms. LED-based far-UVC lamps could therefore soon be used in everyday clinical practice to eradicate multiresistant pathogens directly on humans.

The electroluminescence of UVB light-emitting diodes emitting at 310 nm before and after 1000 h of operation is studied in the temperature range from 20 to 340 K. Before operation, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) at 10 mA gradually increases with decreasing temperature from 0.8% at 340 K to 1.8% at 150 K and then levels off. This trend is attributed to a reduction of non-radiative recombination and finally the domination of radiative recombination at low temperatures. After 1000 h of operation, the EQE has dropped to 0.45% at 340 K with a maximum EQE of 1.4% at 80 K, followed by a drop for temperatures below 80 K. These findings suggest a stress-induced reduction of both the radiative recombination efficiency and the carrier injection efficiency.

AlGaN-based far ultraviolet-C (UVC) light emitting diodes (LEDs) with a peak emission wavelength below 240 nm typically show a long-wavelength tail at >240 nm that is detrimental to the use of the devices for skin-friendly antisepsis. We present the development of far-UVC LEDs with reduced long-wavelength emission using a HfO2/SiO2-based distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) filter. When the DBR filter is directly mounted on an LED package, the long-wavelength emission around 250 nm is reduced by two orders of magnitude while the transmitted output power is reduced down to 18%–27% of the initial value for DBR filters with cut-off wavelengths at 237–243 nm. As the transmission through the DBR filter depends strongly on the angle of incidence of the radiation, the transmitted output power of the spectrally pure far-UVC radiation can be doubled when an additional collimating lens is used on top of the LED package before passing through the filter.

Driven by a wide range of applications, as shown in Fig. 1(a) , the development of AlGaN-based light emitting diodes in the deep ultraviolet spectral range (DUV-LEDs) has greatly intensified. In contrast to conventional ultraviolet sources UV-LEDs exhibit small form factors, operate at moderate dc voltages, show long lifetimes, and their emission covers the entire UVB and large parts of the UVC wavelength range. Currently, the main driving force are high volume applications like water purification, disinfection of surfaces and appliances, inactivation of germs in air treatment systems as well as sterilization of medical equipment with a focus on UVC-LEDs emitting near the germicidal effectiveness peak around 270 nm [1] . This presentation will provide an overview of state-of-the art in DUV-LED device technologies and present recent advances in the development of high quality AlGaN materials by metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE). We will discuss different approaches to improve the internal quantum efficiency of UV light emitters, including the growth of low defect density AlN layers on sapphire substrates by epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) as well as sputtered and high temperature annealed AlN on sapphire [2] . We will demonstrate AlGaN quantum well (QW) LEDs with output powers of more than 50 mW for single-chip emitters near 265 nm and explore the wavelength limits of deep UV-LEDs with emission as short as 217 nm. These far UV-LEDs are ideally suited for sensing applications like the monitoring of combustion engines, toxic gases, nitrates in water, and may also be utilized for the in-vivo inactivation of multi-drug-resistant germs or viruses without damaging the human skin. Although a strong decline can be observed in the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of UV-LEDs emitting below 250 nm, as shown in Fig 1(b) , considerable advances have been made in the development of 233 nm LEDs with output powers of nearly 1.9 mW at 100 mA corresponding to an EQE of 0.35% [4] . We will discuss the root causes for the EQE decline, including changes in the optical polarization of light emission from deep UV AlGaN QWs and their effects on light extraction as well as changes in internal quantum efficiency and carrier confinement. We will provide an outlook of future progress in DUV-LED performance and demonstrate first applications including a spectrally pure 233 nm irradiation system for the in-vivo inactivation of germs.

Increase of light extraction efficiency (LEE) and total output power of UV light emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting at 265 and 310 nm, respectively, after encapsulation with a UV-transparent silicone are studied. Raytracing simulations suggest that a properly placed hemispherical encapsulation with a refractive index in the range from 1.4 to 1.8 enhances the LEE from 8% to up to 16% for flip-chip mounted UV LEDs with non-reflective metal contacts. The simulations also show that the absorption coefficient of the encapsulant determines the maximum LEE and optimum dome diameter and that it should be below 3 cm−1. The silicone encapsulant exhibits a refractive index of 1.47 (1.45) and an absorption coefficient of 1.3 cm−1 (0.47 cm−1) at 265 nm (310 nm). AlGaN/sapphire-based UVC and UVB LED chips were flip-chip mounted on planar AlN ceramic packages and encapsulated with a 1.5 mm-radius hemispherical silicone dome. The total output power at an operation current of 350 mA increased from 27 to 46 mW for 265 nm LEDs and from 45 to 78 mW for 310 nm LEDs. This corresponds to an enhancement of about 70%, which agrees with the simulations. Moreover, far-field measurements of encapsulated LEDs showed a narrowing of the emission cone.

Driven by applications like monitoring of combustion engines, toxic gases, nitrates in water, as well as the inactivation of multi-drug-resistant germs, the development of AlGaN-based light emitting diodes in the deep ultraviolet spectral range (DUV-LEDs) has markedly intensified. This paper will provide a review of recent advances in development of DUV-LEDs, including the realization of low defect density AlGaN heterostructures on sapphire substrates. The performance characteristics of DUV LEDs emitting in the wavelength range between 260 nm and 217 nm will be discussed and milli-Watt power LEDs near 233 nm will be demonstrated.

We here demonstrate thin-film flip-chip (TFFC) ultraviolet-B light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fabricated by a standard LED process and followed by a substrate removal based on selective electrochemical etching of an n-doped multilayered Al0.11Ga0.89N/Al0.37Ga0.63N sacrificial layer. The integration of the LEDs to a Si carrier using thermocompression bonding allowed roughening of the N-polar AlGaN side of the TFFC LEDs using TMAH-etching, which increased the light extraction efficiency by approximately 45% without negatively affecting the I-V-characteristics. This resulted in an optical output power of 0.47 mW at 10 mA for an LED with a p-contact area of 0.03 mm2.

The light extraction efficiency (LEE), external quantum efficiency (EQE), and current–voltage characteristics of deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs) with different aluminum mole fractions in the p-AlGaN layers have been investigated. Optimizing the p-AlGaN layer composition requires a tradeoff between reducing the absorption losses and limiting the increases in the p-contact resistance and operation voltage. AlGaN multiple quantum well LEDs emitting around 263 nm with different AlGaN:Mg short period super lattices (p-SPSL) ranging from x = 33% (UV-absorbing) to x = 68% (UV-transparent) average aluminum mole fraction have been explored. DUV-LEDs with different p-contact metals and UV-reflectivities have been characterized by electroluminescence measurements and analyzed by ray-tracing simulations. The comparison shows an increased operating voltage and a five-fold increase of the on-wafer EQE with a maximum value of 3.0% for DUV-LEDs with UV-transparent p-SPSL (x = 68%) and UV-reflective indium contacts in comparison to LEDs with a UV-absorbing p-SPSL (x = 33%). Ray-tracing simulations show that the increase in EQE can be partially ascribed to a 2.5-fold improved LEE in combination with a two-fold increase in internal quantum efficiency.

We present the growth and electro-optical characteristics of highly transparent AlGaN-based tunnel heterojunction light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting at 232 nm entirely grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). A GaN:Si interlayer was embedded into a highly Mg- and Si-doped Al 0.87 Ga 0.13 N tunnel junction to enable polarization field enhanced tunneling. The LEDs exhibit an on-wafer integrated emission power of 77 μW at 5 mA, which correlates to an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 0.29% with 45 μW emitted through the bottom sapphire substrate and 32 μW emitted through the transparent top surface. After depositing a highly reflective aluminum reflector, a maximum emission power of 1.73 mW was achieved at 100 mA under pulsed mode operation with a maximum EQE of 0.35% as collected through the bottom substrate.

In this paper we investigate the growth of metamorphic Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 N :Si on c-plane AlN/sapphire. The structural properties of the AlGaN:Si pseudo substrates and the electro-optical characteristics of subsequently grown UVB LEDs are being examined. We demonstrate, that superlattices allow the controlled strain relaxation of Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 N by rearrangement of threading dislocations, thus preventing the formation of cracks. This study investigates AlN/GaN superlattices with a nominal GaN layer thickness between 1.0 nm and 2.5 nm at a fixed AlN layer thickness of 2.5 nm. The number of superlattice-periods was also varied between 20 and 120. It was found that beyond a GaN layer thickness of 1.5 nm three-dimensional structures are formed. Additionally, these three-dimensional structures reduce the local defect density of the subsequently grown Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 N layer. Although the Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 N layer appears to be almost fully relaxed, the relaxation state of this pseudo substrate, was found to be dependent on the GaN layer thickness in the superlattice. After optimizing the superlattice structure we were able to grow crack free 4 μm thick Si-doped Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 N layers and on top UVB LEDs with a fully strained active region emitting at 310 nm with output powers of more than 18 mW at 500 mA.

In this paper, we will present the development of a compact LED-based optical gas sensing system in the ultraviolet-C spectral region. This includes the design of the LED heterostructure emitting near 226 nm, the development of an LED chip, and the implementation into a gas sensing system capable of detecting nitrogen oxide concentrations in the ppm range.

We investigate the spectral broadening in deep ultraviolet (UV) multi quantum well light emitting diodes (LED) by modeling the emission spectra. Experimental emission spectra of deep UV LEDs exhibit a at tail towards lower energies and a steep decrease towards high energies that cannot be explained by convolution of the spectrum with a broadening function. We devise a luminescence model based on the broadening of the density of states (DOS) function which is consistent with the experimental spectra. The broadening of the DOS also explains the emission red shift with respect to the quantum well subband transitions. In addition, we investigate the in uence of the DOS broadening on the carrier and luminescence in the active region.

In this paper we investigate the enhancement of electron blocking in AlGaN multi-quantum barriers (MQBs). Simulations of effective barrier height of Al 0.2 Ga 0.8 N/GaN-MQBs were performed in order to find optimal layer design. By using a strict optimization procedure the optimized MQB exhibits an increase of the effective barrier height of over 120 meV compared to a bulk electron blocking layer (EBL). This value was achieved for nearly all combinations of material parameters found in literature and for up to ±10 % layer thickness fluctuations. Based on the optimized design a sample series for experimental determination of effective barrier heights in AlGaN-MQBs is proposed.

Mg-doped AlGaN short-period superlattices with a high aluminum mole fraction are promising to fabricate highly efficient deep UV light emitting diodes. We present a robust and easy-to-implement experimental method for quantification of the vertical component of the anisotropic short-period superlattice conductivity based on current–voltage characteristics of devices with varying short-period superlattice thicknesses. In particular, the vertical conductivity of Al0.71Ga0.29N/Al0.65Ga0.35N:Mg short-period superlattices is investigated and found to be strongly affected by the temperature and by the applied electric field. At room temperature, the vertical conductivity varies between 5.5 × 10−7 Ω −1 cm−1 at 0.05 MV cm−1 and 6.7 × 10−5 Ω−1 cm−1 at 0.98 MV cm−1 and increases by almost two orders of magnitude when the temperature increases up to 100 °C. This behavior is in very good agreement with simulations based on a 3D-Poole–Frenkel model. In addition, the zero-field ionization energy and the inter-trap distance of the Mg acceptors in the AlGaN short-period superlattices were determined to be 510 ± 20 meV and 5.1 ± 0.3 nm, respectively.

Deep UV-LEDs (DUV-LEDs) emitting at 233 nm with an emission power of (1.9 ± 0.3) mW and an external quantum efficiency of (0.36 ± 0.07) % at 100 mA are presented. The entire DUV-LED process chain was optimized including the reduction of the dislocation density using epitaxially laterally overgrown AlN/sapphire substrates, development of vanadium-based low resistance n-metal contacts, and employment of high thermally conductive AlN packages. Estimated device lifetimes above 1500 h are achieved after a burn-in of 100 h. With the integration of a UV-transparent lens, a strong narrowing of the far-field pattern was achieved with a radiant intensity of 3 mW/sr measured at 20 mA.

The electrical and structural properties of V/Al-based n-contacts on n ‐ Al x Ga 1 − x N with an Al mole fraction x ranging from x = 0.75 to x = 0.95 are investigated. Ohmic n-contacts are obtained up to x = 0.75 with a contact resistivity of 5.7 × 10 − 4 Ω · cm 2 whereas for higher Al mole fraction the IV characteristics are rectifying. Transmission electron microscopy reveals a thin crystalline AlN layer formed at the metal/semiconductor interface upon thermal annealing. Compositional analysis confirmed an Al enrichment at the interface. The interfacial nitride-based layer in n-contacts on n ‐ Al 0.9 Ga 0.1 N is partly amorphous and heavily contaminated by oxygen. The role and resulting limitations of Al in the metal stack for n-contacts on n-AlGaN with very high Al mole fraction are discussed. Finally, ultraviolet C (UVC) LEDs grown on n ‐ Al 0.87 Ga 0.13 N and emitting at 232 nm are fabricated with an operating voltage of 7.3 V and an emission power of 120 μW at 20 mA in cw operation.

We report on the performance of AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) emitting at 265 nm grown on stripe-patterned high-temperature annealed (HTA) epitaxially laterally overgrown (ELO) aluminium nitride (AlN)/sapphire templates. For this purpose, the structural and electro-optical properties of ultraviolet-c light-emitting diodes (UVC-LEDs) on as-grown and on HTA planar AlN/sapphire as well as ELO AlN/sapphire with and without HTA are investigated and compared. Cathodoluminescence measurements reveal dark spot densities of 3.5 × 10 9 cm − 2 , 1.1 × 10 9 cm − 2 , 1.4 × 10 9 cm − 2 , and 0.9 × 10 9 cm − 2 in multiple quantum well samples on as-grown planar AlN/sapphire, HTA planar AlN/sapphire, ELO AlN/sapphire, and HTA ELO AlN/sapphire, respectively, and are consistent with the threading dislocation densities determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution X-ray diffraction rocking curve. The UVC-LED performance improves with the reduction of the threading dislocation densities (TDDs). The output powers (measured on-wafer in cw operation at 20 mA) of the UV-LEDs emitting at 265 nm were 0.03 mW (planar AlN/sapphire), 0.8 mW (planar HTA AlN/sapphire), 0.9 mW (ELO AlN/sapphire), and 1.1 mW (HTA ELO AlN/sapphire), respectively. Furthermore, Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulations showed a 15% increase in light-extraction efficiency due to the voids formed in the ELO process. These results demonstrate that HTA ELO AlN/sapphire templates provide a viable approach to increase the efficiency of UV-LEDs, improving both the internal quantum efficiency and the light-extraction efficiency.

P-type contacts with a high reflectivity in the ultraviolet spectral region made of molybdenum/aluminum (Mo/Al) on AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV LEDs) emitting at 265 nm have been investigated. Optimized Mo/Al contacts are shown to have a high optical reflectivity above 75% at 265 nm. DUV LEDs with an absorbing p-AlGaN heterostructure operated at 20 mA show a 15% higher light output power and a 1 V lower voltage when Mo/Al instead of Pt is used as p-contact. The effect on the voltage of DUV LEDs with a UV-transparent p-side heterostructure is similar. Moreover, DUV LEDs with a Mo/Al contact show a lower operation voltage compared to LEDs with an indium tin oxide/aluminum (ITO/Al) p-contact where the ITO is intended to form a semitransparent low-resistance contact and the Al serves as a reflector.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the UVB (280 nm – 315 nm) spectral range are of particular interest for applications such as plant growth lighting or phototherapy. In fact, LEDs offer numerous advantages compared to conventional ultraviolet light sources such as a tunable emission wavelength, a small form factor, and a minimal environmental impact. State-of-the-art devices utilize p-GaN and low aluminum mole fraction p-AlGaN layers to enable good ohmic contacts and low series resistances. However, these layers are also not transparent to UVB light thus limiting the light extraction efficiency (LEE). The exploitation of UV-transparent p-AlGaN layers together with high reflective metal contacts may significantly increase the LEE. In this paper, the output power of LEDs emitting at 310 nm with a UV-transparent and absorbing Mg-doped AlGaN superlattice is compared. A three-fold increase of the output power was observed for LEDs with UV-transparent p-AlGaN layers. To investigate these findings, LEDs with low reflective Ni/Au and high reflective Al contacts are fabricated and characterized. Together with ray tracing simulations and detailed measurements of the metal reflectivities, we were able to determine the LEE and the internal quantum efficiency (IQE). According to on-wafer measurements, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) increases from 0.3% for an absorbing p-Al0.2Ga0.8N/Al0.4Ga0.6N-superlattice with Ni/Au contacts to 0.9% for a UV-transparent p-Al0.4Ga0.6N/Al0.6Ga0.4N-superlattice with Al contacts. This 3× enhancement of the EQE can be partially ascribed to an improved LEE (from 4.5% to 7.5%) in combination with a 1.8× increase of the IQE when using a p-Al0.4Ga0.6N/Al0.6Ga0.4N-superlattice instead of a p-Al0.2Ga0.8N/Al0.4Ga0.6N-superlattice.

The height of the barrier around the AlGaN quantum well has a strong impact on the external quantum efficiency of UVC light emitting diodes (LEDs) as it affects the carrier confinement, the polarization fields, and the injection efficiency as well as the optical polarization and emission profile of the emitted light. The electro-optical properties such as emission wavelength, optical polarization, and light output power of AlGaN multiple quantum well (MQW) LEDs emitting around 270 nm with Al mole fraction in the Al x Ga1−x N barriers between x = 55% and x = 76% are investigated by electroluminescence measurements. In order to analyze the experimental results, 6-band kp method-based simulations as well as single band Schrodinger-Poisson drift-diffusion simulations have been conducted. It was found that for the same current density of 100 A cm−2 the on-wafer emission power reaches a maximum for an Al mole fraction of x = 67% in the Al x Ga1−x N barrier of the Al0.53Ga0.47N MQW (0.84 mW at 40 mA). Furthermore, the emission wavelength decreases and the fraction of transverse-electric polarized light emission increases with increasing Al mole fraction in the barrier. This is consistent with drift-diffusion and kp simulations, attributing the changes of the emission power primarily to changes in charge carrier injection and electrical confinement in the quantum wells rather than to changes in the optical polarization and light extraction.

The influence of aluminum mole fraction of Al x Ga1-x N/Al y Ga1-y N multiple quantum wells (MQWs) on the optical polarization, light extraction efficiency (LEE) and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of deep ultra violet light emitting diodes in the wavelength range between 264 and 220 nm is investigated. The on-wafer EQE decreases from 0.6% to 0.00013% in this wavelength range. Polarization resolved photoluminescence and electroluminescence measurements show a change from dominant transverse-electric to dominant transverse-magnetic polarized light emission with increasing aluminum mole fraction in the MQW. The quantitative agreement with k·p calculations allow to ascribe this shift to a change of the characteristic of the Γ7+ valance band. Ray tracing simulations predict a reduction of the on-wafer LEE from 4% to 1.5%. Therefore the dramatic drop of the EQE in this wavelength range cannot be attributed to a drop in LEE and is most likely dominated by charge carrier injection and radiative recombination efficiency.

We report on AlGaN-based tunnel heterojunctions grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy enabling fully transparent UVC LEDs by eliminating the absorbing p-AlGaN and p-GaN layers. Furthermore, the electrical characteristics can be improved by exploiting the higher conductivity of n-AlGaN layers as well as a lower resistance of n-contacts. UVC LEDs with AlGaN:Mg/AlGaN:Si tunnel junctions exhibiting single peak emission at 268 nm have been realized, demonstrating effective carrier injection into the AlGaN multiple quantum well active region. The incorporation of a low band gap interlayer enables effective tunneling and strong voltage reduction. Therefore, the interlayer thickness is systematically varied. Tunnel heterojunction LEDs with an 8 nm thick GaN interlayer exhibit continuous-wave emission powers >3 mW near thermal rollover. External quantum efficiencies of 1.4% at a DC current of 5 mA and operating voltages of 20 V are measured on-wafer. Laterally homogeneous emission is demonstrated by UV-sensitive electroluminescence microscopy images. The complete UVC LED heterostructure is grown in a single epitaxy process including in situ activation of the magnesium acceptors.

Due to changes in the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization, AlGaN/GaN heterostructures exhibit strong polarization fields at heterointerfaces. For quantum wells, the polarization fields lead to a strong band bending and a redshift of the emission wavelength, known as quantum-confined Stark effect. In this paper the polarization fields of thin AlGaN layers in a GaN matrix were determined by evaluating the changes in the depletion region width in comparison to a reference sample without heterostructure using capacitance-voltage-measurements. The polarization fields for Al0.09Ga0.91N (0.6 +/- 0.7 MV cm(-1)), Al0.26Ga0.74N (2.3 +/- 0.6 MV cm(-1)), Al0.34Ga0.66N (3.1 +/- 0.6 MV cm(-1)), Al0.41Ga0.59N (4.0 +/- 0.7 MV cm(-1)) and Al0.47Ga0.53N (5.0 +/- 0.8 MV cm(-1)) heterostructures were determined. The results of the field strength and field direction of all samples are in excellent agreement with values predicted by theory and a capacitance-voltage based Poisson-carrier transport simulation approach giving experimental evidence for a nonlinear increasing polarization field with Al-concentration. (C) 2019 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

The development of ultraviolet AlGaN multiple quantum well (MQW) light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the wavelength range between 239 and 217 nm is presented. The effects of aluminum composition in the MQW active region and of the underlying AlxGa1���xN:Si current spreading layer on the emission characteristics and operating voltages are investigated. A strong reduction in output power is observed with decreasing emission wavelength which is partly attributed to light absorption within the underlying AlxGa1���xN:Si. Additionally, a reduced carrier injection efficiency is identified as the root cause for the reduced emission power with decreasing emission wavelength. Emission powers at a dc current of 20 mA between 310 and 0.15 ��W have been achieved for LEDs emitting between 239 and 217 nm. The maximum light output in pulsed mode operation of these LEDs ranged between 4.6 mW and 3.6 ��W, respectively.

In this paper the internal electric fields of nearly lattice matched InAlN/GaN heterostructures were determined. Pin-diodes containing InAlN/GaN heterostructures grown on sapphire substrates by metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy were fabricated by standard lithography and metallization techniques. To determine the polarization fields in the InAlN quantum wells capacitance-voltage-measurements were performed on the pin-diodes. To reduce the measurement error, the heterostructure thicknesses were accurately determined by transmission electron microscopy. Large polarization fields, which correspond mainly to the spontaneous polarizations, for In0.15Al0.85N ( MV cm−1), In0.18Al0.82N ( MV cm−1) and In0.21Al0.79N ( MV cm−1) quantum wells were observed. The results of the internal field strength and field direction are in excellent agreement with values predicted by theory and a CVM-based coupled Poisson/carrier transport simulation approach.

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 100 mA (current density = 67 A/cm2 and heatsink temperature = 20 °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.

The performance characteristics of AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on sputtered and high temperature annealed AlN/sapphire templates are investigated and compared with LEDs grown on epitaxially laterally overgrown (ELO) AlN/sapphire. The structural and electro-optical properties of the devices on 350 nm sputtered and high temperature annealed AlN/sapphire show similar defect densities and output power levels as LEDs grown on low defect density ELO AlN/sapphire templates. After high temperature annealing of the 350 nm sputtered AlN, the full widths at half maximum of the (0002) and (101¯2) reflections of the high resolution x-ray diffraction rocking curves decrease by one order of magnitude to 65 arc sec and 240 arc sec, respectively. The curvature of the sputtered and HTA AlN/sapphire templates after regrowth with 400 nm MOVPE AlN is with −80 km−1 much lower than the curvature of the ELO AlN/sapphire template of −160 km−1. The on-wafer measured output powers of 268 nm LEDs grown on 350 nm sputtered and high temperature annealed AlN/sapphire templates and ELO AlN/sapphire templates were 0.70 mW and 0.72 mW at 20 mA, respectively (corresponding to an external quantum efficiency of 0.75% and 0.78%). These results show that sputtered and high temperature annealed AlN/sapphire provide a viable approach for the fabrication of efficient UVC-LEDs with reduced complexity and thus reduced costs.

Recent progress in the development of AlGaN-based materials and high-efficiency ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) will be reviewed. The impact of UV-LEDs on applications in environmental sensing, life sciences, and medical diagnostics will be illustrated.

We present UV-C LEDs emitting around 235 nm grown by MOVPE on ELO AlN/sapphire substrates. In order to account for the low conductivity of high Al content AlGaN layers and the associated high contact resistances, we designed an optimized compact LED geometry based on electro-thermal simulations of the current spreading. Experimental data (layer and contact resistances) are collected on test structures and used as input parameters for 3-D current spreading simulations. With resistances of the layers (n and p) approaching 0.1 Ωcm, the use of a segmented p-area with broad n-contact fingers (10 μm or more) that are close to the mesa edge (5 μm) help to maximize the emission power in the center of the structure. Based on this knowledge a series of compact LEDs of size 500 μm x 500 μm is designed and simulated. We get confirmation that the segmentation of the p-area is the most critical parameter to limit the non-uniformity introduced by the high n-sheet resistances. Up to 17% in emission power can be gained when the n-contacts are designed properly. LEDs with the optimum geometry were processed and measured. We get a good confirmation of our model concerning the distribution of the emission power. Both simulations and measurements show current crowding at the edge of the n-contact, however the power loss in the middle of the chip is higher than predicted.

UV light emitters in the UV-B spectral range between 280 nm and 320 nm are of great interest for applications such as phototherapy, gas sensing, plant growth lighting, and UV curing. In this paper we present high power UV-B LEDs grown by MOVPE on sapphire substrates. By optimizing the heterostructure design, growth parameters and processing technologies, significant progress was achieved with respect to internal efficiency, injection efficiency and light extraction. LED chips emitting at 310 nm with maximum output powers of up to 18 mW have been realized. Lifetime measurements show approximately 20% decrease in emission power after 1,000 operating hours at 100 mA and 5 mW output power and less than 30% after 3,500 hours of operation, thus indicating an L50 lifetime beyond 10,000 hours.

This paper reports a comprehensive analysis of the origin of the electroluminescence (EL) peaks and of the thermal droop in UV-B AlGaN-based LEDs. By carrying out spectral measurements at several temperatures and currents, (i) we extract information on the physical origin of the various spectral bands, and (ii) we develop a novel closed-form model based on the Shockley–Read–Hall theory and on the ABC rate equation that is able to reproduce the experimental data on thermal droop caused by non-radiative recombination through deep levels. In the samples under test, the three EL bands are ascribed to the following processes: band-to-band recombination in the quantum wells (main EL peak), a parasitic intra-bandgap radiative transition in the quantum well barriers, and a second defect-related radiative process in the p-AlGaN superlattice.

The uniformity of emission from deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV LEDs) is investigated. The AlGaN-based heterostructures of the UV LEDs emitting around 235 nm were grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on epitaxially laterally overgrown AlN/sapphire substrates. The impact of different device designs on the spatial distribution of the electroluminescence for a series of UV LEDs is studied. Due to the relatively high resistivities of n-AlGaN and p-AlGaN layers, ranging from 10 to 0.1 Ω cm as well as specific contact resistances approaching 1 Ω cm2, the emission patterns revealed heavy current crowding at the mesa edges causing a drop of power in the center of the emitting area and an asymmetry towards the side of the bonding pad of the n-contact. Simple analytical models considering the transfer and the current spreading length could only qualitatively explain the observed emission pattern. Using a 3D electro-thermal simulation of the current spreading in the LEDs the experimentally observed emission pattern could also be quantitatively reproduced. Based on these findings the 3D electro-thermal simulation was employed to optimize the contact geometry of the deep UV LEDs in order to achieve a more uniform power distribution.

The exhibition The Moderns is an essay, and is intended to be viewed and read as such. It shows artworks from the period 1890–1935.Y0U will be confronted with the knowledge of the age, especially that of those sciences that are generally considered to be the antithesis of the aesthetic plane: the natural sciences and, above all, physics.

The optical polarization of emission from ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on (0001)-oriented AlxGa1−xN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) has been studied by simulations and electroluminescence measurements. With increasing aluminum mole fraction in the quantum well x, the in-plane intensity of transverse-electric (TE) polarized light decreases relative to that of the transverse-magnetic polarized light, attributed to a reordering of the valence bands in AlxGa1−xN. Using k ⋅ p theoretical model calculations, the AlGaN MQW active region design has been optimized, yielding increased TE polarization and thus higher extraction efficiency for bottom-emitting LEDs in the deep UV spectral range. Using (i) narrow quantum wells, (ii) barriers with high aluminum mole fractions, and (iii) compressive growth on patterned aluminum nitride sapphire templates, strongly TE-polarized emission was observed at wavelengths as short as 239 nm.

The effect of different Al(Ga)N electron blocking heterostructures (EBH) on the emission spectra and light output power of 290 nm light emitting diodes (LEDs) has been investigated. The carrier injection and internal quantum efficiency of the LEDs is simulated and compared to electroluminescence measurements. The highest light output power has been found for LEDs with an Mg-doped AlN/Al0.7Ga0.3N EBH with an AlN layer thickness >3 nm. The output power of these LEDs was 8.5-times higher compared to LEDs without EBH. This effect is attributed to an improved carrier injection and confinement which prevents electron leakage into the p-doped region of the LED with a simultaneously enhanced hole injection into the active region.

Ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (LEDs) suffer from a low wall-plug efficiency, which is to a large extent limited by the poor light extraction efficiency (LEE). A thin-film flip-chip (TFFC) design with a roughened N-polar AlGaN surface can substantially improve this. We here demonstrate an enabling technology to realize TFFC LEDs emitting in the UVB range (280-320 nm), which includes standard LED processing in combination with electrochemical etching to remove the substrate. The integration of the electrochemical etching is achieved by epitaxial sacrificial and etch block layers in combination with encapsulation of the LED. The LEE was enhanced by around 25% when the N-polar AlGaN side of the TFFC LEDs was chemically roughened, reaching an external quantum efficiency of 2.25%. By further optimizing the surface structure, our ray-tracing simulations predict a higher LEE from the TFFC LEDs than flip-chip LEDs and a resulting higher wall-plug efficiency.