Voltage modulated electroluminescence spectra and low frequency ({\leq} 100
kHz) impedance characteristics of electroluminescent diodes are studied.
Voltage modulated light emission tracks the onset of observed negative
capacitance at a forward bias level for each modulation frequency. Active
participation of sub-bandgap defect states in minority carrier recombination
dynamics is sought to explain the results. Negative capacitance is understood
as a necessary dielectric response to compensate any irreversible transient
changes in the minority carrier reservoir due to radiative recombinations
mediated by slowly responding sub-bandgap defects. Experimentally measured
variations of the in-phase component of modulated electroluminescence spectra
with forward bias levels and modulation frequencies support the dynamic
influence of these states in the radiative recombination process. Predominant
negative sign of the in-phase component of voltage modulated
electroluminescence signal further confirms the bi-molecular nature of light
emission. We also discuss how these states can actually affect the net density
of minority carriers available for radiative recombination. Results indicate
that these sub-bandgap states can suppress external quantum efficiency of such
devices under high frequency operation commonly used in optical communication.Comment: 21 pages, 4 sets of figure