The effect of preliminary neutron irradiation on IR-LED characteristics during operation

Infrared light-emitting diodes operate under ionizing radiation. The purpose of this work is to research the effect of preliminary neutron irradiation on the reliability of LEDs during long-term operation. The objects of the research were light-emitting diodes based upon AlGaAs heterostructures. Long-term operating conditions were simulated by accelerated step-by-step tests. Changes in watt-ampere characteristic during the step-by-step tests can be represented as a change in the corresponding threshold currents with increasing of test steps. It is proved that the use of an optimal level of preliminary fast neutrons irradiation of LEDs makes it possible to increase their reliability.