Enhanced performance of N-polar AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

We numerically investigated the performance of N-polar AlGaN-based ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with different Al contents in quantum wells (QWs) and barriers. We found that N-polar structures could improve the maximum internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and suppress the efficiency droop, especially for deep-UV LEDs. Compared to metal-polar LEDs, N-polar ones retained higher IQE values even when the acceptor concentrations in the p-layers were one order of magnitude lower. The enhanced performance originated from the higher injection efficiencies of N-polar structures in terms of efficient carrier injection into QWs and suppressed electron overflow at high current densities.