Electrochemical potentiostatic activation (EPA) is applied to AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The effects of EPA on DUV LEDs are disclosed by analyzing the temperature-dependent current-voltage characteristics. EPA-treated DUV LEDs show improved electrical optical properties with suppressed forward leakage currents, reduced operation voltages, smaller ideality factors, and enhanced light emission compared to the reference device. EPA treatment yields distinct differences in carrier conduction across the p-AlGaN layer. The limited conductivity of the p-AlGaN layer in a DUV LED causes space-charge-limited (SCL)-like conduction behavior in the voltage regime far exceeding the turn-on voltage. EPA treatment alleviates the SCL-like conduction, which infers the improved conductivity of the p-AlGaN layer. In the same vein, the occurrence of high-level injection is retarded in the EPA-treated device, which is also consistent with enhanced conductivity of the p-AlGaN layer that mitigates asymmetry between n- and p-type conductivities of a DUV LED. Thus, the improved performance of AlGaN-based DUV LED is attributed to the promoted charge transport, which is enabled by the EPA-induced enhanced p-type conductivity.

中文翻译：

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电化学恒电位激活对AlGaN基深紫外发光二极管中载流子传输的影响

电化学恒电位活化（EPA）应用于基于AlGaN的深紫外（DUV）发光二极管（LED）。通过分析温度相关的电流-电压特性，揭示了EPA对DUV LED的影响。与参考器件相比，经EPA处理的DUV LED表现出更好的电光学性能，具有正向泄漏电流得到抑制，工作电压降低，理想因子更小以及发光增强。EPA处理在整个p-AlGaN层的载流子传导方面产生明显差异。DUV LED中p-AlGaN层的有限电导率会导致电压范围内的空间电荷受限（SCL）状导电行为，远远超过了开启电压。EPA处理减轻了SCL样的导电性，从而推断出p-AlGaN层的导电性得到了改善。同样，在EPA处理过的设备中，高水平注入的发生受到了阻碍，这也与p-AlGaN层导电性的提高（减轻了DUV LED的n型和p型电导率之间的不对称性）相一致。因此，基于AlGaN的DUV LED的性能提高归因于电荷迁移的促进，这是由EPA诱导的增强的p型电导率实现的。