GaN/sub 0.011/P/sub 0.989/-GaP double-heterostructure red light-emitting diodes directly grown on GaP substrates

Novel red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on GaN/sub 0.011/P/sub 0.989/-GaP double-heterostructure (DH) directly grown on [100] GaP substrates have been fabricated for the first time. The samples were grown by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy with an RF nitrogen radical beam source to incorporate N in GaP. Compared to conventional GaAs-based AlGaInP red LEDs, this novel LED structure eliminates the complicated steps of etching the light-absorption GaAs substrate and wafer-bonding to a transparent GaP substrate. Based on the uncoated devices made with the heterojunction bipolar transistor masks, the emission efficiency of the DH LEDs is 20 times stronger than that of a GaNP pn homojunction diode.