Enhanced Performance of InGaN Light-Emitting Diodes via High-Quality GaN and Embedded Air Voids Grown on Hexagonal 3D Serpentine Mask Sapphire Substrates

This work demonstrates high-efficiency InGaN-based light-emitting diodes (HSM-LEDs) prepared on hexagonal 3D serpentine sapphire substrates. The 3D serpentine mask has a modulating effect on epitaxial lateral growth (ELOG), which can not only reduce the dislocation density (TDD) to 1.7 × 107 cm–2 without any high dislocation density (HDD) region but also induce the formation of a hexagonal pyramidal air-void array with an inclination angle of 65°. Compared to conventional LEDs, HSM-LEDs exhibit a 117% enhancement in EL output power at a current injection of 600 mA. This can be attributed to the improvement of crystal quality by modulated ELOG, the relief of in-plane stresses to mitigate the quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) through the weak connection of the epitaxial layer to the substrate, and the enhanced light extraction efficiency by an embedded air-void array. We confirmed the reduction of compressive stress from 0.94 GPa to 0.51 GPa in HSM-LEDs by Raman spectroscopy and investigated the effect of air voids on light extraction efficiency (LEE) experimentally and theoretically. Ray-tracing simulations show that the embedded pyramidal air voids can effectively re-extract the downward emitted light, and the pyramidal air voids with a 65° slant sidewall can improve the LEE by 71%