Defect-enabled electrical current leakage in ultraviolet light-emitting diodes: Defect-enabled electrical current leakage in UV LEDs

Electrical current leakage paths in AlGaN-based ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are identified using conductive atomic force microscopy. Open-core threading dislocations are found to conduct current through insulating Al0.7Ga0.3N layers. A defect-sensitive H3PO4 etch reveals these open-core threading dislocations as 1-2 mu m wide hexagonal etch pits visible with optical microscopy. Additionally, closed-core threading dislocations are decorated with smaller and more numerous nanometer-scale pits, which are quantifiable by atomic-force microscopy. The performances of UV-LEDs fabricated on similar Si-doped Al0.7Ga0.3N templates are found to have a strong correlation to the density of these electrically conductive open-core dislocations, while the total threading dislocation densities of the UV-LEDs remain relatively unchanged.