Suppression of leakage current in InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum well LEDs by N2O plasma treatment

Abstract

The effect of N2O plasma treatment on the reverse leakage currents in InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum well (MQW) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) was investigated. The reverse leakage current of an MQW LED after an N 2O plasma treatment was decreased by two orders of magnitude compared to that of an untreated LED. This can be attributed to the passivation of surface and sidewall damage on the GaN, produced as a result of the dry etching process during fabrication of the LED for electrode formation. These results reveal that nonradiative defects can be reduced by N2O plasma passivation and the reverse leakage current in an MQW LED can be substantially decreased, resulting in an improvement in the optical output of the MQW LED. © 2004 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.