Light Extraction Enhancement of GaN-Based Light-Emitting Diodes Using Crown-Shaped Patterned Sapphire Substrates

In this letter, we report the high performance GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with embedded air void array grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The donut-shaped air void was formed at the interface between crown-shaped patterned sapphire substrates (CPSS) and the GaN epilayer by conventional photolithography. The transmission electron microscopy images demonstrate that the threading dislocations were significantly suppressed by epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELOG). The Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulation reveals that the light extraction of the air-voids embedded LED was dramatically increased due to a strong light reflection and redirection by the air voids.