Japanese Journal of Applied Physics 50 (2011) 01AD05 REGULAR PAPER

DOI: 10.1143/JJAP.50.01AD05

Improvement in the Light Output Power of GaN-Based Light Emitting Diodes

by One-Step Current Blocking Design
Chun-Fu Tsai, Yan-Kuin Su1;2 , and Chun-Liang Lin3
Institute of Microelectronics, Department of Electrical Engineering, National Cheng-Kung University, No. 1 University Road, Tainan 701, Taiwan, R.O.C.
1
Institute of Microelectronics, Department of Electrical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, R.O.C.
2
Department of Electrical Engineering, Kun-Shan University, Yung-Kang City, No. 949, Da-Wan Road, Tainan 710, Taiwan, R.O.C.
3
Department of Electronic Engineering, Kun-Shan University, Yung-Kang City, No. 949, Da-Wan Road, Tainan 710, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Received April 22, 2010; revised May 24, 2010; accepted June 28, 2010; published online January 20, 2011

This paper presented the InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) using one-step design of indium–tin-oxide (ITO) layer as the current blocking
layer (CBL) structure was fabricated successfully and the optoelectronic properties were also measured. The ITO CBL LEDs exhibit higher light
output power (16.3% at 20 mA) compared with that of the reference LEDs without CBL. As for the usual current blocking process, the one-step
design of ITO CBL as the current blocking structure was demonstrated in our experiment and proved to be an effective, feasible and inexpensive
way, with fewer steps and less cost, to improve the LEDs’ performance. # 2011 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

1. Introduction
GaN-based wide bandgap semiconductors have recently
attracted considerable interests, in terms of applications for
optoelectronic devices, which operate in the blue, green, and
ultraviolet (UV) wavelength regions.1) A general configura-
tion of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is that both
n- and p-type pads are formed on the same side of the LED
chip due to the insulating sapphire substrates. In such a
structure, the p-electrode is located in the middle of the light
path, some loss of light is inevitable as a result of photon
absorption near the p-pad.2) Therefore, in order to increase
the light output of GaN-based LEDs, the issue of light
absorption at p-pad will be important.
Recently, several current blocking (CB) methods that
could enhance the light output of LEDs have been
demonstrated as follows: using CF4 +O2 gases plasma-
treatment to p-GaN under p-pad for current blocking;3)
forming and varying the number and size of blocking-
holes in the shortest current path between p- and n-pads;4)
inserting an insulator in p-GaP layer under p-pad for the
current blocking application of AlGaInP-based material
system;5) localized Ti deposition associated with indium–
zinc-oxide (IZO) was proposed to serve as a Schottky
current blocking layer for the vertical-structure GaN-based
LEDs;6) the activation of Mg-doped p-GaN using a Ni film
as the catalyst to form the selective high resistivity region
(SHRR) as the purpose of current blocking,7) etc. All these
solutions have one significant purpose in common, which
is reducing current density under p-pad and improving the
performance of LEDs by current blocking structure.
In this article, we report on the fabrication and
characterization of InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum well
(MQW) LEDs with a one-step current blocking design
under the p-pad by means of standard photolithography and
wet chemical etching. The results show that the performance
of a LED chip with the current blocking design is
considerably enhanced compared to that of the conventional
LED. In our experiment, through the one-step selective
area current blocking design without additional steps to
form current blocking structure as above mentioned in the
literature, we could define a Schottky contact region under

E-mail address: chunfutsai@hotmail.com
01AD05-1
Fig. 1. Process flowchart of (a) the conventional CBL process with four steps,
and (b) the one-step ITO CBL design with three steps in this experiment.
the p-pad, which the Schottky contact region is just the
interface of exposed p-GaN and p-pad Cr/Pt/Au. In this
way, we can avoid spontaneous emission beneath the opaque
p-pad and to enhance an additional current injection into
the effective active layers of the LED, thereby significantly
increasing the light output power.
2. Experimental Procedure
The samples were grown by metal–organic vapor chemical
deposition (MOCVD) system. The LED structure consisted
of a GaN nucleation layer, a Si-doped n-GaN layer, InGaN/
GaN MQWs, a Mg-doped p-AlGaN was grown as the
electron blocking layer (EBL), and then a Mg-doped p-GaN
layer. After defining mesa by standard photolithography and
inductively coupled plasma (ICP) dry etching, the indium–
tin-oxide (ITO) layer was deposited by e-beam evaporation
served as the transparent conduction layer (TCL), forming
ohmic contact to p-GaN. We define the ITO covered region
by photolithographic patterning and wet chemical etching,
also define the current blocking region to expose p-GaN at
the same time without additional step to fabricate the current
blocking layer (CBL) structure. We can see the comparison
of CBL process flowchart in Fig. 1. Finally, the metal layer
composed of Cr/Pt/Au was simultaneously deposited onto
n-GaN and ITO, served as the n- and p-pads by e-beam
evaporation and the chip fabrication was finished. Note,
the Cr/Pt/Au can form ohmic contact to n-GaN and ITO
but we get Schottky contact between Cr/Pt/Au and p-GaN,
# 2011 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 50 (2011) 01AD05 C.-F. Tsai et al.

Fig. 2. (Color online) Schematic cross-sectional view of the epitaxial layers and GaN LED fabricated (a) without, as the reference and (b) with the one-step ITO
CBL design.

@20mA

EL intensity (arb.unit)
Reference LED
ITO CBL LED

400 420 440 460 480 500 520

Wavelength (nm)

Fig. 4. (Color online) Room temperature EL spectra of the reference and ITO
CBL LEDs at 20 mA dc injection current.
Fig. 3. CCD image of the ITO CBL chip with size 330  330 m2 , labeled
with defined p-GaN and ITO region.

that is the key point of our current blocking design in this

experiment.
The cross-sectional view of the reference and ITO CBL
LED structures were shown in Fig. 2. From the figure we
can see the current blocking region, where the p-pad Cr/Pt/
Au was directly onto the exposed p-GaN to form the
Schottky contact. In Fig. 3, it shows the image of fabricated
ITO CBL chip, labeled with exposed p-GaN and defined
ITO region as the CBL design, just as we can see in the
Fig. 2. Conventional LED chips with the same size
(330  330 m2 ) were also fabricated on the same wafer
as reference. The optical and electrical properties of the Fig. 5. (Color online) Beam profile measurements of the (a) reference and (b)
ITO CBL LEDs at 20 mA dc current injection.
LEDs were both measured with the form of TO-can using
an optics LED characterization system with a calibrated
integrated sphere detector.
In the beam profile measurement of Fig. 5, we can see the
3. Results and Discussion ITO CBL LED has better current spreading. The injection
Figure 4 is the room temperature electroluminescence (EL) current blocked by the Schottky contact under the p-pad
spectra of the reference and ITO CBL LEDs at dc 20 mA would be forced to spread outward, hence the current density
injection. It was found that EL peak of these two LEDs both in the active region beneath the p-pad can be effectively
occurred at 455 nm with nearly the same full-width at half- reduced, thus increasing the light output power of LED at
magnitude (FWHM) about 18.5 nm. It was also found that the same time. Figure 6 shows the L–I–V curve of these two
the EL intensity of the ITO CBL LED was larger than that fabricated LEDs. At 20 mA, as compared to reference LED
of the reference LED without CBL. Such an observation can (12.7 mW), it was found the light output power of ITO CBL
be attributed to the better light extraction efficiency for the LED (14.77 mW) was significantly improved by 16.3%.
LED with ITO CBL design. As for the I–V characteristic, the higher forward voltage
01AD05-2 # 2011 The Japan Society of Applied Physics
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 50 (2011) 01AD05
Fig. 6. (Color online) L–I–V characteristics of the reference and ITO CBL
LEDs.
(increased about 0.1 V) of ITO CBL LED can be attributed
to the current-blocking design, with less contact area
between ITO and p-GaN than that of reference LED, so
the serial resistance and forward voltage of ITO CBL LED
will be inevitably higher.
4. Conclusions
In conclusion, this paper presented the InGaN/GaN LEDs
using one-step design of ITO layer as the current blocking
structure was fabricated successfully and the optoelectronic
properties were also measured. The ITO CBL LEDs exhibit
higher light output power (16.3% at 20 mA) compared with
that of the reference LEDs without CBL. As for the usual
01AD05-3
C.-F. Tsai et al.
current blocking process, the one-step design of ITO CBL
as the current blocking structure was demonstrated in our
experiment and proved to be an effective, feasible and
inexpensive way, with fewer steps and less cost, to improve
the LEDs’ performance.
Acknowledgement
Funding from the Advanced Optoelectronic Technology
Center, National Cheng Kung University, under projects
from the Ministry of Education and the National Science
Council (NSC 96-2221-E-006-079-MY3) of Taiwan are
gratefully acknowledged. This work was partially supported
by TDPA ‘‘Lamp Development of White Light-Emitting
Diode for Local Lighting’’ program and in part by National
Science Council of the Republic of China (R.O.C.) in
Taiwan under Contract Nos. TDPA 97-EC-17-A-07-S1-105
and NSC 97-2623-E-168-001-IT.
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# 2011 The Japan Society of Applied Physics