GaInN-based LED structures on selectively grown semi-polar crystal facets

In conventional nitride-based light emitting diodes, huge internal electric fields lead to a reduced overlap of electron and hole wave functions in the active GaInN quantum wells as a consequence of the piezoelectricity of these polar materials. In order to minimize these internal fields while still maintaining the well-established c-direction as main epitaxial growth direction for high-quality low-defect-density layers, we have investigated semi-polar LED structures on the side-facets of triangular GaN stripes grown by selective area epitaxy. The reduced internal electric field could be confirmed by several spectroscopic methods. We found a strongly facet dependent growth mechanism leading to very flat surfaces on {1 (1) over bar 01} facets as opposed to their {11 (2) over bar2} counterparts. An increased indium uptake on semipolar {1 (1) over bar 01} facets as compared to conventional c-plane layers helped to shift the LED emission to longer wave lengths beyond 500 nm in the green spectral range despite the significantly reduced field-dependent Stark shift. (C) 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim