Comparative efficiency analysis of GaN-based light-emitting diodes and laser diodes

Nobel laureate Shuji Nakamura predicted in 2014 that GaN-based laser diodes are the future of solid state lighting. However, blue GaN-lasers still exhibit less than 40% wall-plug efficiency, while some GaN-based blue light-emitting diodes exceed 80%. This paper investigates non-thermal reasons behind this difference. The inherently poor hole conductivity of the Mg-doped waveguide cladding layer of laser diodes is identified as main reason for their low electrical-to-optical energy conversion efficiency.