Growth of high-quality near-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes used InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells

Abstract High-quality near-ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) used InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) have been grown on ScMgAlO4 substrates by plasma enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (PEMOCVD). The structural properties and optoelectronic properties of InGaN/GaN MQWs are characterized carefully. The full-width at half-maximums (FWHMs) for GaN(0002) and GaN(10–12) X-ray rocking curves are 180 and 190 arcsec, respectively, indicating high crystalline quality of GaN epitaxial films. The as-grown InGaN/GaN MQWs with sharp and abrupt hetero-interfaces have been also obtained and confirmed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements. Meanwhile, there is a photoluminescence peak at 385 nm with an FWHM of 23.2 nm at 300 K and the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) for these InGaN/GaN MQWs is measured to be as high as 79.8%, revealing the high optoelectronic properties. This work sheds light on the preparation of high-performance near-UV LEDs for the application of UV curing, lighting, etc.