Enhancing the light-extraction efficiency is the key issue for realizing highly efficient AlGaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs). We introduced several features to improve the light extraction: a transparent AlGaN:Mg contact layer, a Rh mirror electrode, an AlN template on a patterned sapphire substrate, and encapsulation resin. The combination of the AlGaN:Mg contact layer and the Rh mirror electrode significantly improved the output power and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of UV-LEDs. By introducing the aforementioned features, a maximum EQE of >20% at an emission wavelength of 275 nm and a 20-mA direct current was achieved.

1 Introduction Because of their wide direct transition energy range in UV, which is between 6.2 eV (AlN) and 3.4 eV (GaN), AlGaN and quaternary InAlGaN are attracting considerable attention as candidate materials for the realization of deep ultraviolet (DUV) laser diodes (LDs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) [1,2]. DUV LEDs and LDs with emission wavelengths in the range of 230-350 nm are expected for a lot of applications, such as, sterilization, water purification, medicine and biochemistry, light sources for high density optical recording, white light illumination, fluorescence analytical systems and related information sensing fields, air purification equipment, and zero-emission automobiles.Research into AlGaN-based UV LEDs for wavelengths shorter than 360 nm, i.e., wavelengths between 330-355 nm [3][4][5], was initiated by several research groups between 1996-1999. The development of short-wavelength UV LEDs is now becoming extremely competitive. Several groups have reported AlGaN-, InAlGaN-, or AlNbased DUV LEDs, 240-280 nm AlGaN multi-quantumwells (MQWs) LEDs [6-10], quaternary InAlGaN MQW LEDs [1,[11][12][13] and a 210 nm AlN LED [14].We started our research into AlGaN-based deep-UV LEDs in 1997. We reported first efficient DUV (230 nm) photoluminescence (PL) from AlGaN QWs [15], and 333 nm AlGaN-QW UV LED on SiC in 1999 [3]. We have

The luminescence of InGaN single quantum wells grown by molecular-beam epitaxy under fixed conditions over a series of c-axis GaN nanowire arrays with different geometrical parameters was studied. For arrays with variable GaN average wire diameters and fixed wire densities, the InGaN luminescence peak shifted to higher energy with decreasing wire diameter. It is shown that this trend cannot be attributed to lateral quantum confinement or diameter-dependent InGaN strain. For arrays with variable wire densities and fixed average diameters, the InGaN emission appeared as two distinct bands of different colours, the relative intensities of which depended on the wire density. By optimizing both the GaN wire density and InGaN growth conditions, the colours of the two different bands were combined to realize phosphor-free white light-emitting diodes. The mechanisms for the dependence of the InGaN luminescence on the geometrical parameters of the GaN nanowire array are discussed.