Interwell carrier transport in InGaN/(In)GaN multiple quantum wells

Abstract

Uniform carrier distribution between quantum wells (QWs) of multiple QW light emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes is important for the efficiency of device operation. In lasers, the uniform distribution ensures that all the QWs contribute to lasing; in LEDs, it enables high power operation with minimal Auger losses and a maximal efficiency. The carrier distribution between the QWs takes place via interwell (IW) transport. In polar GaN-based structures, the transport might be hindered by the strong carrier confinement and the internal electric fields. In this work, we study the IW transport in InGaN/(In)GaN multiple QW structures typical for ultraviolet-emitting devices with different well and barrier parameters. Experiments have been performed by means of time-resolved photoluminescence. We find that the IW transport rate is limited by the hole thermionic emission, which for InGaN/GaN QWs produces long transport times, ∼1 ns per well, and a nonuniform IW carrier distribution. However, adding 5% In to the barriers completely changes the situation with the transport time decreasing by a factor of four and the hole thermionic emission energy from 200 meV to 70 meV. This study shows that using InGaN barriers is a promising pathway toward efficient high power InGaN LEDs.