Fabrication and characterization of an LED based on a GaN-on-silicon platform with an ultra-thin freestanding membrane in the blue range

In order to improve the opto-electronic performance and light extraction efficiency of LEDs based on a GaN-on-silicon platform, we proposed an LED device based on GaN-on-silicon with an ultra-thin freestanding membrane. By combining photolithography, deep reactive ion etching and inductively-coupled plasma reactive ion etching, we prepared an LED based on a GaN-on-silicon platform with an ultra-thin freestanding membrane, removing the silicon substrate of light-emitting area and most area of the electrodes, and thinning most of the GaN epitaxial layer. We performed three-dimensional morphology characterization for the LED device and found that the surface of the LED 's membrane is flat and that the membrane's deformation is minimal. It is proved that the back process can solve the problem of membrane deformation caused by stress release between the GaN epitaxial layer and the silicon substrate. By characterizing the current-voltage and electroluminescence spectrum of the LED and comparing the LEDs with different structures and different light-emitting area sizes, we found that the opto-electronic performance and light output efficiency of the LED with an ultra-thin freestanding membrane are better than that of the common LED, and the change in size of the light-emitting area has a significant effect on the performance of the LED. Compared with the current of common LED, the current of the LED which has an ultra-thin freestanding membrane with 80-mu m diameter light-emitting area increased from 4.3 mA to 23.9 mA under 15 V driving voltage. Under 3-mA current, the peak light intensity increased by about 5 times. The light-emitting efficiency of the LED with a 120-mu m diameter light-emitting area is improved more perceptibly compared with that of LED with a 80-mu m diameter light-emitting area. This research provides more possibilities for the development of high-performance LED devices with an ultra-thin freestanding membrane.