Analysis of Deep-Trap States in GaN/InGaN Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes after Electrical Stress

We analyzed the deep-trap states of GaN/InGaN ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs) before and after electrical stress. After electrical stress, the light output power dropped by 5.5%, and the forward leakage current was increased. The optical degradation mechanism could be explained based on the space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) theory. Specifically, for the reference UV LED (before stress), two sets of deep-level states which were located 0.26 and 0.52 eV below the conduction band edge were present, one with a density of 2.41 × 10¹⁶ and the other with a density of 3.91×10¹⁶ cm ⁻³. However, after maximum electrical stress, three sets of deep-level states, with respective densities of 1.82×10¹⁶, 2.32×1016 cm ⁻³, 5.31×10¹⁶ cm ⁻³ were found to locate at 0.21, 0.24, and 0.50 eV below the conduction band. This finding shows that the SCLC theory is useful for understanding the degradation mechanism associated with defect generation in UV LEDs.