Polarization-engineered AlGaN last quantum barrier for efficient deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes.

AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV LEDs) have been identified as a prospective mercury-free UV source. However, the observation of severe electron overflow and low hole injection efficiency in the conventional DUV LED deteriorates the device performance, attributing to the downward band bending as a result of the strong polarization-induced electric fields between the last quantum barrier (LQB) and the electron blocking layer (EBL). In this study, a composition-graded AlGaN layer with linearly increasing of Al composition from 0.5 to 0.65 is proposed to act as the LQB, replacing the conventional flat LQB to reduce the effective barrier height for hole injection while improving the electron blocking ability. Hence, a considerable enhancement of the output power can be obtained. Moreover, further investigations show that the thickness of graded LQB determine the band bending in the LQB and thus significantly suppress the electron leakage, eventually leading to a boosted output power. The thorough investigation on the LQB could pave the way towards the realization of efficient DUV LEDs of the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]