Fabrication and characterization of GaN-based light-emitting diodes without pre-activation of p-type GaN

We fabricated GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) without pre-activation of p-type GaN. During the fabrication process, a 100-nm-thick indium tin oxide film was served as the p-type contact layer and annealed at 500°C in N(2) ambient for 20 min to increase its transparency as well as to activate the p-type GaN. The electrical measurements showed that the LEDs were featured by a lower forward voltage and higher wall-plug efficiency in comparison with LEDs using pre-activation of p-type GaN. We discussed the mechanism of activation of p-type GaN at 500°C in N(2) ambient. Furthermore, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy examinations were carried out to study the improved electrical performances of the LEDs without pre-activation of p-type GaN.