Current crowding impact at spatially and temporarily resolved thermal characters of large-area AlGaInP light emitting diodes operating in dimming/flashing modes

By exploring spatially (mu m-scale) and temporarily (ms-scale) resolved light and 8-12 mu m thermal imaging analyses, we demonstrate how current crowding alternates the thermal parameters of light emitting diodes (LEDs) operating in dimming/flashing mode. For example, in AlGaInP/GaAs high-current (I >= 1A) large-area (>= 1mm(2)) LEDs, we measured the thermal time constant (2.5 ms), heat diffusion length (110 mu m), current crowding length (<75 mu m), thermal diffusivity (0.08 cm(2)/s) of GaAs substrate, and current-dependent thermal patterns taken from the front and sidewall facet of chips. We discovered that even at I = 100mA emitting ships are already divided by two regions with different temperatures, small area high-temperature central regions (effective volumes) with high current density and larger area lower-temperature peripheral regions with much lower current density. The experiments evidence that the simplified computer simulations of dimming mode based on mean chip temperature, mean thermal resistance, and average current density, as well as temperature-independent ABC-modeling must be regarded with skepticism. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.