Electroluminescence (EL) characterization of InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs), coupled with numerical device models of different sophistication, is routinely adopted not only to establish correlations between device efficiency and structural features, but also to make inferences about the loss mechanisms responsible for LED efficiency droop at high driving currents. The limits of this investigative approach are discussed here in a case study based on a comprehensive set of currentand temperature-dependent EL data from blue LEDs with low and high densities of threading dislocations (TDs). First, the effects limiting the applicability of simpler (closed-form and/or one-dimensional) classes of models are addressed, like lateral current crowding, vertical carrier distribution nonuniformity, and interband transition broadening. Then, the major sources of uncertainty affecting state-of-the-art numerical device simulation are reviewed and discussed, including (i) the approximations in the transport description through the multi-quantum-well active region, (ii) the alternative valence band parametrizations proposed to calculate the spontaneous emission rate, (iii) the difficulties in defining the Auger coefficients due to inadequacies in the microscopic quantum well description and the possible presence of extra, non-Auger high-current-density recombination mechanisms and/or Auger-induced leakage. In the case of the present LED structures, the application of three-dimensional numerical-simulation-based analysis to the EL data leads to an explanation of efficiency droop in terms of TD-related and Auger-like nonradiative losses, with a C coefficient in the 10−30 cm6/s range at room temperature, close to the larger theoretical calculations reported so far. However, a study of the combined effects of structural and model uncertainties suggests that the C values thus determined could be overestimated by about an order of magnitude. This preliminary attempt at uncertainty quantification confirms, beyond the present case, the need for an improved description of carrier transport and microscopic radiative and nonradiative recombination mechanisms in device-level LED numerical models

Recent experiments of electron emission spectroscopy (EES) on III-nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have shown a correlation between droop onset and hot electron emission at the cesiated surface of the LED p-cap. The observed hot electrons have been interpreted as a direct signature of Auger recombination in the LED active region, as highly energetic Auger-excited electrons would be collected in long-lived satellite valleys of the conduction band so that they would not decay on their journey to the surface across the highly doped p-contact layer. We discuss this interpretation by using a full-band Monte Carlo model based on first-principles electronic structure and lattice dynamics calculations. The results of our analysis suggest that Auger-excited electrons cannot be unambiguously detected in the LED structures used in the EES experiments. Additional experimental and simulative work are necessary to unravel the complex physics of GaN cesiated surfaces.

The Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) is an established optical source in short-distance optical communication links, computer mice and tailored infrared power heating systems. Its low power consumption, easy integration into two-dimensional arrays, and low-cost manufacturing also make this type of semiconductor laser suitable for application in areas such as high-resolution printing, medical applications, and general lighting. However, these applications require emission wavelengths in the blue-UV instead of the established infrared regime, which can be achieved by using GaN-based instead of GaAs-based materials. The development of GaN-based VCSELs is challenging, but during recent years several groups have managed to demonstrate electrically pumped GaN-based VCSELs with close to 1 mW of optical output power and threshold current densities between 3-16 kA/cm 2 . The performance is limited by challenges such as achieving high-reflectivity mirrors, vertical and lateral carrier confinement, efficient lateral current spreading, accurate cavity length control and lateral optical mode confinement. This paper summarizes different strategies to solve these issues in electrically pumped GaN-VCSELs together with state-of-the-art results. We will highlight our work on combined transverse current and optical mode confinement, where we show that many structures used for current confinement result in unintentionally optically anti-guided resonators. Such resonators can have a very high optical loss, which easily doubles the threshold gain for lasing. We will also present an alternative to the use of distributed Bragg reflectors as high-reflectivity mirrors, namely TiO2/air high contrast gratings (HCGs). Fabricated HCGs of this type show a high reflectivity (>95%) over a 25 nm wavelength span.

This paper reports on an extensive analysis of the electroluminescence characteristics of InGaN-based LEDs with color-coded structure, i.e., with a triple quantum well structure in which each quantum well has a different indium content. The analysis is based on combined electroluminescence measurements and two-dimensional simulations, carried out at different current and temperature levels. Results indicate that (i) the efficiency of each of the quantum wells strongly depends on device operating conditions (current and temperature); (ii) at low current and temperature levels, only the quantum well closer to the p-side has a significant emission; (iii) emission from the other quantum wells is favored at high current levels. The role of carrier injection, hole mobility, carrier density and non-radiative recombination in determining the relative intensity of the quantum wells is discussed in the text

Carrier transport in GaAs-based VCSELs is investigated by means of an in-house multiphysics code, with particular emphasis on the description of many-valley effects in the conduction band of AlGaAs barriers. These effects, which are revealed to have a significant impact on the overall VCSEL performance, are accounted for by an effective density of states obtained with a closed-form model. This description has been included in a simplified simulation framework, where most of the DBR pairs are replaced by an equivalent homogeneous layer. This leads to a major reduction of the computational cost, especially important in view of the computer-aided design of 3-D devices.