Work

Polarization‐Engineered Barrier Designs and Field Reversal Strategies for Improved Carrier Confinement in N‐Polar Thin‐Film Aluminum Gallium Nitride Deep‐Ultraviolet Light‐Emitting Diodes

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Conventional Ga‐polar aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) deep‐ultraviolet (UV) light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) suffer from polarization‐induced carrier separation and severe electron leakage, which limit device efficiency. In this regard, we present an N‐polar AlGaN‐based UV LED integrating a band‐engineered active region designed to overcome the limitations of conventional AlGaN UV‐LEDs. The proposed N‐polar LED incorporates engineered quantum barriers that reduce electron thermal velocity and mean free path, significantly minimizing electron leakage. Additionally, the N‐polar orientation helps mitigate the quantum‐confined Stark effect and enhances carrier overlaps within the quantum wells. As a result, the internal quantum efficiency and output power of the proposed N‐polar LED structure have been improved significantly. The optimized device achieves ∼14 mW at 60 mA, achieving a peak IQE of 43% with low turn‐on voltage of ∼3.85 V and 16.2% efficiency droop, which is 2x power improvement over conventional LEDs.

Source: physica status solidi (a)

DOI: 10.1002/pssa.202500995

Authors: Swetha Velpula, Mano Bala Sankar Muthu, Ravi Teja Velpula, Hieu Pham Trung Nguyen

Institution: Texas Tech University

Language: English

Topic: GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials

Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,780

Funders: Army Research Office, Army Research Laboratory