Characterisation of defects generated during constant current InGaN-on-silicon LED operation

Abstract We studied the degradation of MOCVD-grown InGaN LEDs on Si substrates under constant current stressing. Characterisations using Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy on active areas showed that the stressing had generated defects that have trap states at 0.26 eV below the conduction band edge (Ec – 0.26 eV) and that correlated with the active area's lower nitrogen content as compared to unstressed samples. The combination of Current-Voltage, Electroluminescence, Cathodoluminescence, and device simulations indicate that an increase in the density of these defects is correlated with an increase in the non-radiative carrier recombination that causes degradation in light emission. Preventing formation of these defects will be critical for improving InGaN-on-silicon LED reliability.

[1]  Ronald D. Schrimpf,et al.  Room-temperature diffusive phenomena in semiconductors: The case of AlGaN , 2011 .

[2]  Hyung Jae Lee,et al.  Electron traps and growth rate of buffer layers in unintentionally doped GaN , 2001 .

[3]  Kei May Lau,et al.  III–V-IV integration toward electronics and photonics convergence on a silicon platform , 2014, 2014 12th IEEE International Conference on Solid-State and Integrated Circuit Technology (ICSICT).

[4]  Kenji Harafuji,et al.  Magnesium Diffusion at Dislocation in Wurtzite-Type GaN Crystal , 2005 .

[5]  J. Kretchmer,et al.  Diffusion and tunneling currents in GaN/InGaN multiple quantum well light-emitting diodes , 2002, IEEE Electron Device Letters.

[6]  M. Meneghini,et al.  A Review on the Physical Mechanisms That Limit the Reliability of GaN-Based LEDs , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[7]  D. Chi,et al.  Identification of deep levels in GaN associated with dislocations , 2004 .

[8]  D. Lang.  Deep‐level transient spectroscopy: A new method to characterize traps in semiconductors , 1974 .

[9]  B. Bataillou,et al.  N-contacts degradation analysis of white flip chip LEDs during reliability tests , 2014, 2014 IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium.

[10]  Shuji Nakamura,et al.  High‐power InGaN single‐quantum‐well‐structure blue and violet light‐emitting diodes , 1995 .

[11]  Shuji Nakamura,et al.  History of Gallium–Nitride-Based Light-Emitting Diodes for Illumination , 2013, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[12]  Petr G. Eliseev,et al.  Low-temperature study of current and electroluminescence in InGaN/AlGaN/GaN double-heterostructure blue light-emitting diodes , 1996 .

[13]  A. N. Kovalev,et al.  Aging Mechanisms of InGaN/AlGaN/GaN Light-Emitting Diodes Operating at High Currents , 1998 .

[14]  L. Faraone,et al.  60Co gamma-irradiation-induced defects in n-GaN , 2002 .

[15]  Steven A. Ringel,et al.  Deep level traps in GaN LEDs grown by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy on an 8 inch Si(111) substrate , 2016 .

[16]  Joon Seop Kwak,et al.  Characteristics of GaN-based laser diodes for post-DVD applications , 2004 .

[17]  Yutaka Tokuda.  Traps in MOCVD nGaN studied by deep level transient spectroscopy and minority carrier transient spectroscopy , 2013 .

[18]  Michael Kunzer,et al.  Origin of defect-related photoluminescence bands in doped and nominally undoped GaN , 1999 .

[19]  H. Cho,et al.  Electron capture behaviors of deep level traps in unintentionally doped and intentionally doped n-type GaN , 2003 .

[20]  R. Nieminen,et al.  Nitrogen vacancies as major point defects in gallium nitride. , 2006, Physical review letters.

[21]  P. V. Varde,et al.  Light emitting diodes reliability review , 2012, Microelectron. Reliab..

[22]  S. Lawrence Selvaraj,et al.  Comparison of electrical properties in GaN grown on Si(1 1 1) and c-sapphire substrate by MOVPE , 2008 .

[23]  Van de Walle CG,et al.  Atomic geometry and electronic structure of native defects in GaN. , 1994, Physical review. B, Condensed matter.

[24]  J. Michel,et al.  Electronics and photonics: convergence on a silicon platform , 2007 .

[25]  Lianqiao Yang,et al.  Electrical, optical and thermal degradation of high power GaN/InGaN light-emitting diodes , 2008 .

[26]  Georg Kresse,et al.  Iron as a source of efficient Shockley-Read-Hall recombination in GaN , 2016 .

[27]  peixiong zhao,et al.  Dehydrogenation of defects and hot-electron degradation in GaN high-electron-mobility transistors , 2011 .

[28]  S. D. Arthur,et al.  Defect generation in InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes under forward and reverse electrical stresses , 2003, Microelectron. Reliab..

[29]  김진석,et al.  Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy법에 의한 InGaN / GaN 양자점의 에너지준위 연구 , 2004 .

[30]  Steven A. Ringel,et al.  Electrical characterization of n-type Al0.30Ga0.70N Schottky diodes , 2011 .

[31]  G. Meneghesso,et al.  Analysis of Diffusion-Related Gradual Degradation of InGaN-Based Laser Diodes , 2012, IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics.

[32]  Qimin Yan,et al.  Role of nitrogen vacancies in the luminescence of Mg-doped GaN , 2012 .

[33]  Alfredo Pasquarello,et al.  Energetics of native point defects in GaN , 2015, 1704.03179.