Core-Shell Nanorods as Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 36748796.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c04826 and PMC identifier 9951243.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Existing barriers to efficient deep ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) may be reduced or overcome by moving away from conventional planar growth and toward three-dimensional nanostructuring. Nanorods have the potential for enhanced doping, reduced dislocation densities, improved light extraction efficiency, and quantum wells free from the quantum-confined Stark effect. Here, we demonstrate a hybrid top-down/bottom-up approach to creating highly uniform AlGaN core-shell nanorods on sapphire repeatable on wafer scales. Our GaN-free design avoids self-absorption of the quantum well emission while preserving electrical functionality. The effective junctions formed by doping of both the n-type cores and p-type caps were studied using nanoprobing experiments, where we find low turn-on voltages, strongly rectifying behaviors and significant electron-beam-induced currents. Time-resolved cathodoluminescence measurements find short carrier liftetimes consistent with reduced polarization fields. Our results show nanostructuring to be a promising route to deep-UV-emitting LEDs, achievable using commercially compatible methods.