Green LEDs with V-defects formed from intentional dislocation half-loops

A Alejandro Quevedo (Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Santa Barbara 1 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,) M Michael Wang R Roark Chao (Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Santa Barbara 1 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,) F Feng Wu (Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering) K Kent Nitta (Materials Department, University of California Santa Barbara 2 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,) D Derek Lee (Physics Department, University of California Santa Barbara 3 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,) J Jon A. Schuller (Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Santa Barbara 1 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,) S Shuji Nakamura S Steven P. DenBaars (Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Santa Barbara 1 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,) J James S. Speck (Materials Department, University of California Santa Barbara 2 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,)

Abstract

Group III-nitride light emitting diodes (LEDs) suffer from poor efficiency for longer wavelength emission. This is partly due to increased polarization-induced barriers to vertical carrier injection at InGaN/GaN interfaces in the polar c-plane, where higher In-content is required for long-wavelength emission. Polarization-induced barriers can be bypassed by lateral carrier injection through the semipolar sidewalls of V-defects, which form at the apex of threading dislocations (TDs) during kinetically limited growth. This increases wall-plug efficiency (WPE) through the reduction of forward voltage (VF). TD and resulting V-defect density can be controlled through the formation of edge dislocation half-loops prior to V-defect opening. In this work, we demonstrate a green V-defect LED with optimized AlGaN caps with high external quantum efficiency (EQE) and WPE. The green V-defect LED demonstrated here with such a device structure achieves a peak EQE and a peak WPE of 43.9% and 37.0%, respectively.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 129, Issue 5
Published August 03, 2026
ISSN 0003-6951
Publisher American Institute of Physics

Journal Info

Applied Physics Letters

American Institute of Physics

ISSN: 0003-6951 Physical Sciences

Authors (10)

A

Alejandro Quevedo

Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Santa Barbara 1 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,

M

Michael Wang

R

Roark Chao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Santa Barbara 1 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,

F

Feng Wu

Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering

K

Kent Nitta

Materials Department, University of California Santa Barbara 2 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,

D

Derek Lee

Physics Department, University of California Santa Barbara 3 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,

J

Jon A. Schuller

Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Santa Barbara 1 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,

S

Shuji Nakamura

S

Steven P. DenBaars

Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Santa Barbara 1 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,

J

James S. Speck

Materials Department, University of California Santa Barbara 2 , Santa Barbara, California 93106,