Influence of cavity de-tuning in semiconductor microcavity LEDs

Data are presented showing the precise role of the cavity de-tuning on the emission properties of semiconductor microcavity light emitting diodes (MC-LEDs). Enhanced output power and narrow line width emission have been observed over a wide range of cavity de-tunings, with a power reduction of less than View the MathML source observed for ±12 nm de-tuned devices. For a resonantly de-tuned MC-LED, the slope efficiency extracted from the power output versus current characteristics decreases monotonically with increasing temperature. However, for a MC-LED de-tuned +5.6 nm to long wavelength with respect to the room temperature quantum well (QW) peak, the extracted slope efficiencies vary by less than ±0.5 dB over a temperature range of greater than 65°C. Compared to a conventional LED, narrower beam divergence is observed for MC-LEDs de-tuned to short wavelength with respect to the bare QW peak. For positively de-tuned MC-LEDs the beam divergence broadens, and the far-field emission profiles exhibit a double-lobed pattern that is sensitive to pump level.