Increased light extraction from a light-emitting diode using a two-dimensional photonic crystal

• Published in: Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (QELS 2000). Technical Digest. Postconference Edition. TOPS Vol.40 (IEEE Cat. No.00CH37089) pp. 43 - 44
• Main Authors: Erchak, A.A., Ripin, D.J., Fan, S., Petrich, G.S., Joannopoulos, J.D., Kolodziejski, L.A., Ippen, E.P.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 2000
• Subjects: Band pass filters; Dielectric thin films; Etching; Laboratories; Lattices; Light emitting diodes; Optical films; Photonic band gap; Photonic crystals; Resonance
• ISBN: 1557526087; 9781557526083
• ISSN: 1094-5695
• DOI: 10.1109/CLEO.2000.906812

Summary form only given. Enhanced light extraction is obtained from a light-emitting diode (LED) containing a two-dimensional (2D) photonic band gap (PBG) crystal. The 2D photonic crystal prohibits the propagation of light within a certain range of frequencies in the plane of the PBG. Several methods to modify light emission using a 2D photonic crystal have been studied. A 2D PBG is fabricated in the top cladding layer of an InGaP/InGaAs quantum well structure that emits at /spl lambda/=980 nm. The photonic crystal is designed such that the emission wavelength lies inside the photonic band gap eliminating the coupling to lateral guided modes within the semiconductor, that is a major source of loss in conventional LEDs. In our experiments, the surface normal photoluminescence (PL) at 980 nm is enhanced by a factor of 6 in the presence of a photonic crystal.