Thin-film flip-chip UVB LEDs realized by electrochemical etching

We demonstrate a thin-film flip-chip (TFFC) light-emitting diode (LED) emitting in the ultraviolet B (UVB) at 311 nm, where substrate removal has been achieved by electrochemical etching of a sacrificial Al0.37Ga0.63N layer. The electroluminescence spectrum of the TFFC LED corresponds well to the as-grown LED structure, showing no sign of degradation of structural and optical properties by electrochemical etching. This is achieved by a proper epitaxial design of the sacrificial layer and the etch stop layers in relation to the LED structure and the electrochemical etch conditions. Enabling a TFFC UV LED is an important step toward improving the light extraction efficiency that limits the power conversion efficiency in AlGaN-based LEDs

Smooth GaN membranes by polarization-assisted electrochemical etching

III-nitride membranes offer promising perspectives and improved device designs in photonics, electronics, and optomechanics. However, the removal of the growth substrate often leads to a rough membrane surface, which increases scattering losses in optical devices. In this work, we demonstrate membranes with etched surface roughness comparable to that of the as-grown epitaxial material, accomplished by the implementation of a properly designed built-in polarization field near the top of the sacrificial layer from an AlInN interlayer, which is polarization-mismatched to GaN. This leads to a steeper reduction in free carrier density during the electrochemical etching of the sacrificial layer, limiting the etching current and thus causing an abrupter etch stop. As a result, the root mean square roughness is reduced to 0.4nm over 5x5 mu m(2). These smooth membranes open attractive pathways for the fabrication of high-quality optical cavities and waveguides operating in the ultraviolet and visible spectral regions

Optical microprism cavities based on dislocation-free GaN

Three-dimensional growth of nanostructures can be used to reduce the threading dislocation density that degrades III-nitride laser performance. Here, nanowire-based hexagonal GaN microprisms with flat top and bottom c-facets are embedded between two dielectric distributed Bragg reflectors to create dislocation-free vertical optical cavities. The cavities are electron beam pumped, and the quality (Q) factor is deduced from the cavity-filtered yellow luminescence. The Q factor is similar to 500 for a 1000nm wide prism cavity and only similar to 60 for a 600nm wide cavity, showing the strong decrease in Q factor when diffraction losses become dominant. Measured Q factors are in good agreement with those obtained from quasi-3D finite element frequency-domain method and 3D beam propagation method simulations. Simulations further predict that a prism cavity with a 1000nm width will have a Q factor of around 2000 in the blue spectral regime, which would be the target regime for real devices. These results demonstrate the potential of GaN prisms as a scalable platform for realizing small footprint lasers with low threshold currents

Athermalization of the Lasing Wavelength in Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

A concept for vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) is proposed and demonstrated to obtain a lasing wavelength with unprecedented temperature stability. The concept is based on incorporating a dielectric material with a negative thermo-optic coefficient, dn/dT, in the distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) to compensate the positive dn/dT of the semiconductor cavity. In a short cavity, the optical field has a significant overlap with the DBRs, and the redshift of the lasing wavelength caused by the semiconductor cavity can be compensated by the negative dn/dT of the DBRs. Here, proof of this concept is presented for optically-pumped VCSELs emitting at 310 nm, demonstrating a lasing wavelength that even blueshifts by less than 0.1\ua0nm over an 80 \ub0C range with a maximum slope of –3.4\ua0pm K−1. This is to be compared with a redshift of 1–1.5\ua0nm over the same temperature range reported for III-nitride blue-emitting VCSELs. Furthermore, this method can also be implemented in VCSELs with longer cavity lengths by including a dielectric layer between the semiconductor and the DBR. The approach used here to obtain a temperature-stable lasing wavelength is generic and can therefore be applied to VCSELs in all material systems and lasing\ua0wavelengths

Increased Light Extraction of Thin-Film Flip-Chip UVB LEDs by Surface Texturing

Ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (LEDs) suffer from a low wall-plug efficiency, which is to a large extent limited by the poor light extraction efficiency (LEE). A thin-film flip-chip (TFFC) design with a roughened N-polar AlGaN surface can substantially improve this. We here demonstrate an enabling technology to realize TFFC LEDs emitting in the UVB range (280-320 nm), which includes standard LED processing in combination with electrochemical etching to remove the substrate. The integration of the electrochemical etching is achieved by epitaxial sacrificial and etch block layers in combination with encapsulation of the LED. The LEE was enhanced by around 25% when the N-polar AlGaN side of the TFFC LEDs was chemically roughened, reaching an external quantum efficiency of 2.25%. By further optimizing the surface structure, our ray-tracing simulations predict a higher LEE from the TFFC LEDs than flip-chip LEDs and a resulting higher wall-plug efficiency

Electrochemical etching of AlGaN for the realization of thin-film devices

Heterogeneously integrated AlGaN epitaxial layers will be essential for future optical and electrical devices like thin-film flip-chip ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes, UV vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, and high-electron mobility transistors on efficient heat sinks. Such AlGaN-membranes will also enable flexible and micromechanical devices. However, to develop a method to separate the AlGaN-device membranes from the substrate has proven to be challenging, in particular, for high-quality device materials, which require the use of a lattice-matched AlGaN sacrificial layer. We demonstrate an electrochemical etching method by which it is possible to achieve complete lateral etching of an AlGaN sacrificial layer with up to 50% Al-content. The influence of etching voltage and the Al-content of the sacrificial layer on the etching process is investigated. The etched N-polar surface shows the same macroscopic topography as that of the as-grown epitaxial structure, and the root-mean square roughness is 3.5 nm for 1 \ub5m x 1 \ub5m scan areas. Separated device layers have a well-defined thickness and smooth etched surfaces. Transferred multi-quantum-well structures were fabricated and investigated by time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. The quantum wells showed no sign of degradation caused by the thin-film process

Low-Threshold AlGaN-based UVB VCSELs enabled by post-growth cavity detuning

The performance of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) is strongly dependent on the spectral detuning between the gain peak and the resonance wavelength. Here, we use angle-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy to investigate the emission properties of AlGaN-based VCSELs emitting in the ultraviolet-B spectral range with different detuning between the photoluminescence peak of the quantum-wells and the resonance wavelength. Accurate setting of the cavity length, and thereby the resonance wavelength, is accomplished by using doping-selective electrochemical etching of AlGaN sacrificial layers for substrate removal combined with deposition of dielectric spacer layers. By matching the resonance wavelength to the quantum-wells photoluminescence peak, a threshold power density of 0.4 MW/cm2 was achieved, and this was possible only for smooth etched surfaces with a root mean square roughness below 2 nm. These results demonstrate the importance of accurate cavity length control and surface smoothness to achieve low-Threshold AlGaN-based ultraviolet VCSELs

A 310 nm Optically Pumped AlGaN Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser

Ultraviolet light is essential for disinfection, fluorescence excitation, curing, and medical treatment. An ultraviolet light source with the small footprint and excellent optical characteristics of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) may enable new applications in all these areas. Until now, there have only been a few demonstrations of ultraviolet-emitting VCSELs, mainly optically pumped, and all with low Al-content AlGaN cavities and emission near the bandgap of GaN (360 nm). Here, we demonstrate an optically pumped VCSEL emitting in the UVB spectrum (280-320 nm) at room temperature, having an Al0.60Ga0.40N cavity between two dielectric distributed Bragg reflectors. The double dielectric distributed Bragg reflector design was realized by substrate removal using electrochemical etching. Our method is further extendable to even shorter wavelengths, which would establish a technology that enables VCSEL emission from UVA (320-400 nm) to UVC (<280 nm)

Impact of Stripe Shape on the Reflectivity of Monolithic High Contrast Gratings

Monolithic high contrast gratings (MHCGs) composed of a one-dimensional grating patterned in a monolithic layer provide up to 100% optical power reflectance and can be fabricated in almost any semiconductor and dielectric material used in modern optoelectronics. MHCGs enable monolithic integration, polarization selectivity, and versatile phase tuning. They can be from 10 to 20 times thinner than distributed Bragg reflectors. The subwavelength dimensions of MHCGs significantly reduce the possibility of ensuring the smoothness of the sidewalls of the MHCG stripes and make precise control of the shape of the MHCG stripe cross-section difficult during the etching process. The question is then whether it is more beneficial to improve the etching methods to obtain a perfect cross-section shape, as assumed by the design, or whether it is possible to find geometrical parameters that enable high optical power reflectance using the shape that a given etching method provides. Here, we present a numerical study supported by the experimental characterization of MHCGs fabricated in various materials using a variety of common surface nanometer-scale shaping methods. We demonstrate that MHCG stripes with an arbitrary cross-section shape can provide optical power reflectance of nearly 100%, which greatly relaxes their fabrication requirements. Moreover, we show that optical power reflectance exceeding 99% with a record spectral bandwidth of more than 20% can be achieved for quasi-Trapezoidal cross-sections of MHCGs. We also show that sidewall corrugations of the MHCG stripes have only a slight impact on MHCG optical power reflectance if the amplitude of the corrugation is less than 16% of the MHCG period. This level of stripe fabrication precision can be achieved using the most current surface etching methods. Our results are significant for the design and production of a variety of photonic devices employing MHCGs. The flexibility with regard to cross-section shape facilitates the reliable fabrication of highly reflective subwavelength grating mirrors. This in turn will enable the manufacture of monolithically integrated high-quality-factor optical micro-and nanocavity devices

N-1-methylnicotinamide is a signalling molecule produced in skeletal muscle coordinating energy metabolism

Obesity is a major health problem, and although caloric restriction and exercise are successful strategies to lose adipose tissue in obese individuals, a simultaneous decrease in skeletal muscle mass, negatively effects metabolism and muscle function. To deeper understand molecular events occurring in muscle during weight-loss, we measured the expressional change in human skeletal muscle following a combination of severe caloric restriction and exercise over 4 days in 15 Swedish men. Key metabolic genes were regulated after the intervention, indicating a shift from carbohydrate to fat metabolism. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) was the most consistently upregulated gene following the energy-deficit exercise. Circulating levels of N-1-methylnicotinamide (MNA), the product of NNMT activity, were doubled after the intervention. The fasting-fed state was an important determinant of plasma MNA levels, peaking at similar to 18 h of fasting and being lowest similar to 3 h after a meal. In culture, MNA was secreted by isolated human myotubes and stimulated lipolysis directly, with no effect on glucagon or insulin secretion. We propose that MNA is a novel myokine that enhances the utilization of energy stores in response to low muscle energy availability. Future research should focus on applying MNA as a biomarker to identify individuals with metabolic disturbances at an early stage.Peer reviewe