Individually Addressable AlInGaN Micro-LED Arrays With CMOS Control and Subnanosecond Output Pulses

• Published in: IEEE photonics technology letters Vol. 21; no. 12; pp. 811 - 813
• Main Authors: McKendry, J., Rae, B.R., Zheng Gong, Muir, K.R., Guilhabert, B., Massoubre, D., Gu, E., Renshaw, D., Dawson, M.D., Henderson, R.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 15-06-2009; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Application software; Arrays; Biomedical optical imaging; complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS); Diodes; Direct current; Emittance; GaN; Linear feedback shift registers; micro-light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs); microdisplays; Optical computing; Optical control; Optical devices; Optical feedback; Optical pulses; Optical transmitters; Pixels; Power generation; Square waves; Trains
• ISSN: 1041-1135; 1941-0174
• DOI: 10.1109/LPT.2009.2019114

We report the fabrication and characterization of an ultraviolet (370 nm) emitting AlInGaN-based micro-light- emitting diode (micro-LED) array integrated with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor control electronics. This configuration allows an 8 × 8 array of micro-LED pixels, each of 72-mum diameter, to be individually addressed. The micro-LED pixels can be driven in direct current (dc), square wave, or pulsed operation, with linear feedback shift registers (LFSRs) allowing the output of the micro-LED pixels to mimic that of an optical data transmitter. We present the optical output power versus drive current characteristics of an individual pixel, which show a micro-LED output power of up to 570 muW in dc operation. Representative optical pulse trains demonstrating the micro-LEDs driven in square wave and LFSR modes, and controlled optical pulsewidths from 300 ps to 40 ns are also presented.