Near-ultraviolet light-emitting devices using vertical ZnO nanorod arrays

Reports on electroluminescence (EL) in solid-state, nanomaterial-based devices emitting in the lower wavelength range of the visible spectrum are limited, and the emission stability of these devices is rarely reported. We have fabricated light-emitting devices (LEDs) based on integration of n-ZnO nanorods and p-GaN films, which emit in the violet to near-ultraviolet (NUV) region. We also present data on the stability of EL in fabricated devices. Vertical arrays on ZnO nanorods, with estimated ZnO nanorod density -10 ⁸ cm ^-2, were grown on p-GaN films with typical length of -4 μm and width of -120 nm. The NUV LEDs show low turn-on voltage (-3.0 V), small reverse saturation current (-10 μA), and more than two orders of magnitude rectification ratio, all of which indicates a good-quality p-n junction at the p-GaN/n-ZnO nanorod interface. The EL spectra of LEDs present an emission band centered at -403 nm. Gaussian fitting of the EL peak revealed three emission peaks at 378 nm, 405 nm, and 431 nm with dominant emission in the NUV region. Significantly, the fabricated NUV LEDs present stable and repeatable EL characteristics, as revealed by bias-stress stability tests. The good electrical properties and stable EL performance make these nanostructure- based NUV LEDs potential candidates for mass production of next-generation lighting devices. © 2011 TMS.