Improved performance of InGaN/GaN MQW LEDs with trapezoidal wells and gradually thinned barrier layers towards anode

We design and evaluate the performance of three InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well blue LEDs - A. rectangular quantum wells with a fixed barrier width, B. trapezoidal quantum wells with a fixed barrier width, and C. trapezoidal quantum wells with a decreasing barrier width towards the anode end - in terms of efficiency droop and power output. We obtain band diagram, electric field, emission spectra and carrier concentration using well calibrated APSYS simulation. Use of trapezoidal quantum wells increases better overlapping between electron and hole wavefunctions thereby increasing radiative recombination events. Furthermore decreasing barrier width from n- to p- regions shortens hole transport path which results in better hole transport and distribution in the wells and hence larger radiative recombination rate. Our proposed structure C exhibits efficiency droop reduction of 2.1% and enhancement of optical power of 236.7% compared to conventional rectangular quantum well structure at injection current of 120 mA. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.