Light extraction efficiency of GaN-based light emitting diodes were significantly enhanced using silver nanostructures incorporated in periodic micro-hole patterned multi quantum wells (MQWs). Our results show an enhancement of 60% in the wall-plug efficiency at an injection current of 100 mA when Ag nano-particles were deposited on side facet of MQWs passivated with SiO2. This improvement can be attributed to an increase in the spontaneous emission rate through resonance coupling between localized surface plasmons in Ag nano-particles and the excitons in MQWs.
We report GaN-based near ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diode (LED) that combines indium tin oxide (ITO) nanodot nodes with two-dimensional graphene film as a UV-transparent current spreading electrode (TCSE) to give rise to excellent UV emission efficiency. The light output power of 380 nm emitting UV-LEDs with graphene film on ITO nanodot nodes as TCSE was enhanced remarkably compared to conventional TCSE. The increase of the light output power is attributed to high UV transmittance of graphene, effective current spreading and injection, and texturing effect by ITO nanodots.
GaN-based light-emitting diode (LED) was fabricated on the sapphire substrate with monolithic convex microstructures (CMs) array. Using confocal scanning electroluminescence (EL), we have directly observed the strong outcoupling phenomenon of the light confined in a LED via the CMs array. This outcoupled light could be efficiently converged on the convex center through consecutive reflections at the flat area and the curved slant area of the CMs array. Compared to the conventional LED, the ray tracing simulation and far field EL results of the LED with a CM array showed efficient light extraction toward the top surface, i.e., 0-5, 40-45 and 60-65 degree by the outcoupling effect. We conclude that the outcoupled optical path via CMs is the dominant factor of the enhanced light extraction in the LED with a CM array.
