Horizontal Tunneling And Surface Band Bending: An External Technique For Wavelength Tuning Of Surface-Emitting Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

Wavelength tuning of LEDs is known to occur through changes in temperature and application of pressure or magnetic fields. All such tuning techniques are based upon changes in forbidden energy gap Eg. Here, a simple general spectral tuning technique, not based upon bandgap changes, is suggested and shown experimentally to be feasible. The technique, appropriate for shallow junction surface-emitting LEDs, is repeatable, controllable, reversible, and appears to be completely non-destructive.