High-Performance 348 nm AlGaN/GaN-Based Ultraviolet-Light-Emitting Diode with a SiN Buffer Layer

A 348 nm ultraviolet-light-emitting diode (UV-LED) based on an AlGaN/GaN single quantum well (SQW) with a high optical power is reported. In this structure, a thin SiN buffer is introduced before the growth of a conventional low-temperature GaN buffer layer. Such a buffer layer can dramatically reduce the density of threading dislocation as we have previously reported. Since the optical performance of UV-LED is generally known to be sensitive to the density of threading dislocations, unlike the InGaN/GaN- based blue LED, our UV-LED has a higher optical power than that of a similar structure but without a SiN buffer layer. Since our new buffer technology is much easier than the so-called epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) or pendeo-epitaxy method, it is highly recommended for use in the fabrication of GaN-based optical devices, particularly AlGaN/GaN-based UV-LED.