Effects of Inclined Sidewall Structure With Bottom Metal Air Cavity on the Light Extraction Efficiency for AlGaN-Based Deep Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes

An inclined sidewall scattering structure with air cavity characterized by a metal bottom and flat parallel top (Bottom_metal) is proposed to enhance the light extraction efficiency (LEE) for AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV LEDs). Compared to the reported sidewall metal inclined sidewall (Sidewall_metal) structure, the Bottom_metal structure can greatly enhance the LEE of DUV LEDs based on three-dimensional finite difference time domain simulations. Further analysis indicates that the existence of the air cavity promotes the Bottom_metal DUV LEDs to mainly utilize the total internal reflection and the Fresnel scattering to scatter the light into the escape cone, which avoids the light absorption from the sidewall metal mirror in the Sidewall_metal structure. Moreover, the unique air cavity having a bottom metal also enhances the scattering ability of the Bottom_metal DUV LEDs because any light within the cavity directing downward will be reflected back, and the parallel top interface of air cavity/AlGaN functions as additional out-light planes not limited by total internal reflection.