Skip to main content
Log in

Electrical Characterization of Blue Light Emitting Diodes as a Function of Temperature

  • Published:
MRS Online Proceedings Library Aims and scope

Abstract

Blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on an AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN double heterojunction structure were electrically characterized as a function of temperature. Current-voltage (I–V), capacitance-voltage (C–V) and reverse recovery storage time measurements were conducted at temperatures in the range between −8° and 75° C. Capacitance-voltage measurements as a function frequency (20 Hz–1 MHz) and electroluminescence study at room temperature were also performed. It was observed that the diode turn-on voltage decreased with increasing temperature, however, reverse leakage currents monitored at −1, −5 and −10 V showed only a slight increase with increasing temperature. The concentration of deep states and their position in the bandgap, as extracted from logarithmic plots of the forward characteristics, were not influenced by the measurement temperature. Recombination lifetimes, as obtained from experimentally determined reverse recovery storage times, remained constant over the range of temperature considered. A higher value of diode capacitance was observed at low measurement frequencies (20 Hz–1 kHz), gradually dropping to a lower value over a frequency range between (1 kHz–100 kHz) and remained constant from 100 kHz to 1 MHz. A loss peak centered about 10 kHz was observed in the corresponding plot of gm/ω as a function of frequency, f. The position of the peak in the gm/ω - frequency (f) plot and dC/dω(for f in the range 1 kHz–100 kHz ), yielded a concentration of deep-states of approximately 2.2 × 1015/cm3, located at 0.39 eV above the valence band edge.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • S. P. Denbaars, Proc. IEEE, 85, 1740 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Kong, M. Leonard, G. Bulman, G. Negley and J. Edmond, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc, 395, 903 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  • S. D. Lester, F. A. Ponce, M. G. Craford, and D. A. Steigerwald, Appl. Phys. Lett., 1995, 66, 1249 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

  • T. Miyajima, T. Hino, S. Tomiya, K. Yanashima, S. Hashimoto, T. Kobayashi, M. Ikeda, A. Satake, E. Tokunaga, and Y. Masumoto, Intl. Workshop on Nitride Semiconductors, Nagoya, Japan (2000)

  • M. A. Awaah, R. Nana and K. Das, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc., 829, B2.11.6 (2000).

    Google Scholar 

  • M. A. Lampert and P. Mark, Current Injection in Solids, Academic Press Inc. New York, (1970).

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Das, H. S. Kong, J. B. Petit, J. W. Bumgarner, R. F. Davis, and L. G. Matus, J. Electrochem. Soc., 137, 1598 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Nana, M. A. Awaah, D. Wang, M. Park, and K. Das, to be published, (2006).

  • E. M. Pell and G. M. Roe, J. Appl. Phys., 27, 768 (1956).

    Google Scholar 

  • T. Walter, R. Herberholz, C. Muller, and H. W. Schock, J. Appl. Phys., 80, 4411 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Research reported here was partially sponsored by the Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, partially funded by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC0500OR22725 and in part by an appointment (K. Das) to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory/Oak Ridge Associated Universities Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Education Institutions Summer Faculty Research Program. Partial support was also provided by the Department of Electrical Engineering, Tuskegee University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Murthy, M., Kamto, A., Awaah, M.A. et al. Electrical Characterization of Blue Light Emitting Diodes as a Function of Temperature. MRS Online Proceedings Library 892, 1208 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-0892-FF12-08

Download citation

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-0892-FF12-08

Navigation