Date of Award
5-1-2012
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
First Advisor
Ahmed, Shaikh
Abstract
In this work, we propose a model to address the challenge of droop in internal quantum efficiency in InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Well LEDs. Efficiency droop limits the performance of high brightness LEDs as they operate at currents greater than 350mA. The efficiency droop is a multi-physics problem posed by various entities such as (1) dislocation recombination, (2) Auger recombination in active region, (3) non-radiative recombination, and (4) current overflow in the active region. This work aims at reducing the droop associated with non-radiative recombination by engineering the quantum well barrier thickness and materials. The goals are three-fold, namely: (1) To explore the role of barriers in determining the droop in internal quantum efficiency and to justify the use of multiple barriers to increase the carrier density and reduce the leakage current thereby increase the radiative recombination at higher current densities ; (2) Propose optimum barrier specifications such as number, material combination, and thickness for downscaling the efficiency droop, and thereby improving the device efficiency; and (3) Finally, obtain improved efficiency by engineering the barrier in a realistically-sized device by considering the effects of long-range strain fields in the device.
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