This article is cited in 21 papers

Semiconductor physics

Mechanism of the GaN LED efficiency falloff with increasing current

N. I. Bochkareva^a, V. V. Voronenkov^b, R. I. Gorbunov^a, A. S. Zubrilov^a, Yu. S. Lelikov^a, F. E. Latyshev^c, Yu. T. Rebane^a, A. I. Tsyuk^b, Yu. G. Shreter<sup>a

a</sup> Ioffe Institute, St. Petersburg
^b St. Petersburg Polytechnic University
^c V. A. Fock Institute of Physics, Saint-Petersburg State University

Abstract: The quantum efficiency of GaN LED structures has been studied at various temperatures and biases. It was found that an efficiency falloff is observed with increasing current density and, simultaneously, the tunnel component of the current through the LED grows and the quasi-Fermi levels reach the mobility edge in the InGaN active layer. It is shown that the internal quantum efficiency falloff with increasing current density is due to the carrier leakage from the quantum well as a result of tunnel transitions from its band-tail states to local defect-related energy levels within the energy gaps of the barrier layers.

Received: 15.10.2009
Accepted: 20.10.2009

 English version: Semiconductors, 2010, 44:6, 794–800

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