Coaxial In_xGa_1-xN/GaN multiple quantum well nanowire arrays on Si(111) substrate for high-performance light-emitting diodes

We report the growth of high-quality nonpolar (m-plane) and semipolar (r-plane) multiple quantum well (MQW) nanowires (NWs) for high internal quantum efficiency light emitting diodes (LEDs) without polarization. Highly aligned and uniform In_xGa_1-xN/GaN MQW layers are grown coaxially on the {1-100} sidewalls of hexagonal c-axis n-GaN NWs on Si(111) substrates by a pulsed flow metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique. The photoluminescence (PL) measurements reveal that the wavelength and intensity of an MQW structure with various pairs (2-20) are very stable and possess composition-dependent emission ranging from 369 to 600 nm. The cathodoluminescence (CL) spectrum of individual In_xGa _1-xN/GaN MQW NW is dominated by band-edge emission at 369 and 440 nm with a relatively homogeneous profile of parallel alignment. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) studies of coaxial In _xGa_1-xN/GaN MQW NWs measured along the 〈0001〉 and 〈2-1-10〉 zone axes reveal that the grown NWs are uniform with six nonpolar m-plane facets without any dislocations and stacking faults. The p-GaN/In_xGa_1-xN/GaN MQW/n-GaN NW coaxial LEDs show a current rectification with a sharp onset voltage at 2.65 V in the forward bias. The linear enhancement of power output could be attributed to the elimination of piezoelectric fields in the In_xGa_1-xN/GaN MQW active region. The superior performance of coaxial NW LEDs is observed in comparison with that of thin film LEDs. Overall, the feasibility of obtaining low defect and strain free m-plane coaxial NWs using pulsed MOCVD can be utilized for the realization of high-power LEDs without an efficiency droop. These kinds of coaxial NWs are viable high surface area MQW structures which can be used to enhance the efficiency of LEDs.