The Effects of Polarization-Modulated Quaternary AlInGaN Barriers in Deep-UV-LED

In this paper, the effects of a polarization-modulated quaternary AlInGaN quantum barrier on carrier capture capability and the overlap rate of wave functions in deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV-LEDs) are numerically investigated. By controlling the band bending degree by adjusting polarization intensity (ΔP) in the active region, the band bending is alleviated, and electrons and holes move from both sides of the quantum well to the center, which increases the overlap rate of wave functions and enhances the light output power of DUV-LEDs. Also, there is a limitation on improving the performance of DUV-LEDs by reducing the polarization intensity. This is because the reduced polarization intensity (ΔP) flattens the energy band, reduces the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) concentration at the quantum well/quantum barrier (QW/QB) interface, and decreases the effective barrier height. The lower effective barrier height reduces the capability of carrier confinement and carrier concentration in the active region, resulting in the imbalance between the wave function and the carrier concentration, which limits further enhancement of the performance of DUV-LEDs.