Unipolar Quantum Well InGaAs/AlGaAs Heterostructures With Impact Ionization for Efficient Low-Voltage Light-Emitting Devices

• Published in: IEEE transactions on electron devices Vol. 68; no. 6; pp. 2823 - 2828
• Main Authors: Slipchenko, Sergey O., Soboleva, Olga S., Pikhtin, Nikita A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.06.2021; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Aluminum gallium arsenides; Charge carrier processes; Current injection; Design optimization; Domains; Electric fields; Energy balance (EB) model; Energy conversion efficiency; Energy gap; Heterostructures; high current density; Hole density; Holes (electron deficiencies); Impact ionization; Indium gallium arsenides; Ionization; Optical device fabrication; optical emission; Optical pumping; Photonic band gap; Quantum wells; Radiative recombination; Stimulated emission; unipolar heterostructures
• ISSN: 0018-9383; 1557-9646
• DOI: 10.1109/TED.2021.3075170

We have shown that it is possible to create effective light-emitting devices with interband recombination based on current injection unipolar heterostructures. In the proposed concept, effective interband radiative recombination at current pumping is achieved by (1) the use of a quantum well (QW) located in the narrow bandgap carrier accumulation region of the unipolar heterostructure and (2) the presence of an electric field domain layer that is formed in the separate wide bandgap region of the unipolar heterostructure. Because of the impact ionization, this domain acts as a source of nonequilibrium electrons and holes. InGaAs active region and AlGaAs impact ionization region design optimization, which was carried out using the energy balance model, allowed us to increase current conversion efficiency up to 23% (for pump currents in the range between 52 and 60 A) and the QW electron hole density is sufficient for the effective radiative recombination and high optical gain.