Total internal reflection (TIR) loss is a critical bottleneck limiting light extraction in AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), primarily due to the large refractive-index contrast at the light-emitting interface. Here, pyramid-shaped dielectric metasurfaces are designed and fabricated at the sapphire/air interface of flip-chip AlGaN-based DUV LEDs using a scalable nanoimprinting process. The metasurface functions as a light outcoupling layer that modifies the interfacial momentum-matching condition and redistributes photon propagation directions. Experimental results and theoretical simulations show that metasurfaces with different feature sizes enhance light extraction through distinct mechanisms. The subwavelength pyramid nanoarray perturbs the local optical field and provides additional in-plane momentum components, facilitating the coupling of high-angle photons into radiative channels, whereas the larger pyramid void structure mainly promotes photon extraction through geometrical redirection, tilted output interfaces, and dry-etching-induced rough surface scattering. As a result, an average light output power (LOP) enhancement of over 8% is achieved for AlGaN-based DUV LEDs emitting at approximately 275 nm. This work demonstrates a low-cost, scalable, and effective strategy for enhancing the LEE of DUV LEDs, with promising potential for high-efficiency ultraviolet optoelectronic application.
Wang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.