Improved ultraviolet emission from reduced defect gallium nitride homojunctions grown on step-free 4H-SiC mesas

We previously reported 100-fold reductions in III-N heterofilm threading dislocation density achieved via growth on top of (0001) 4H-SiC mesas completely free of atomic scale steps. This letter compares the electroluminescent (EL) output of GaN pn junctions grown on top of 4H-SiC mesas with and without such steps. An average of 49% enhancement of the ultraviolet luminescence (380nm) was observed in step-free mesas over comparable “stepped” counterparts. Despite the intense EL from the step-free devices, significant leakage was observed through the periphery of the device, possibly due to the lack of GaN junction isolation processing.

Improved ultraviolet emission from reduced defect gallium nitride homojunctions grown on step-free 4H-SiC mesas Journal Articles