Comparison of the Electroluminescence of Blue and Deep-UV Light-Emitting Diodes at Elevated Temperatures

The performance of InGaN and AlGaN-based blue (465nm) and deep ultraviolet (UV) (280 nm) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at elevated temperatures (25–175 °C) were investigated. As a result of uniform high-Al content AlGaN alloys yielded by migration-enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, the deep-UV LED showed dominant band-edge emission, much smaller alloy broadening and weaker localization effects as compared to the InGaN LED. Strong carrier localization was retained in the blue LED up to 175 °C, leading to temperature-independent emission intensity at low-energy tails. The UV LED, however, showed a much more rapid decrease in light output with increasing temperature. The characteristic temperature was 37 K, compared to 270 K for the blue LED. These findings implicate the lack of localization effects in AlGaN alloys as one of the causal factors in the poor thermal performance of the deep UV LED and suggest that increasing carrier confining potentials will provide a critical means to improve its thermal stability.