Nanoscale determinant to brighten up GaN:Eu red light-emitting diode: Local potential of Eu-defect complexes

Emission sites in GaN:Eu red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were investigated using a new spectroscopy technique, namely, site-selective pulse-driven emission spectroscopy (PDES). The PDES, in which the emission intensity of a pulse-driven LED is recorded with respect to the pulse frequency, revealed the charge-trapping dynamics of the Eu emission sites. We found that a determinant of the emission intensity of the sites was not their relative abundance, but rather the spatial extent of the local potential, which determines the effectiveness of the capture of injection charges. Minor sites with wider potentials enhanced the emission intensity of the LED, resulting in emission spectra that differ from those obtained using the photoluminescence of a GaN: Eu thin film. The potential curve is determined by the atomic structure of the complexes, which consist of a Eu dopant and nearby defects in the GaN host. The extent was characterized by a parameter, namely, cutoff frequency, and the emission sites with the wider and narrower potentials in the GaN: Eu LED were found to have cutoff frequencies of 400 kHz and 3 MHz, respectively. The cutoff frequency of 3 MHz was found to be the upper limit for emission sites in the LED. The emission site with the wider potential is useful for slower devices such as light fixtures, while the site with the narrower potential is useful for faster devices such as opto-isolators. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.