Effect of chip geometry on breakdown voltage of GaInN light-emitting diodes

Reverse leakage current characteristics of GaInN/GaN multiple quantum well light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with various chip geometries are examined. The effect of chip geometry on the reverse leakage current is negligible at a low voltage, but becomes apparent at a high voltage. The reverse breakdown voltage of LEDs decreases as the angle of vertex in the chip geometry decreases presumably because of a highly localised electric field strength near the vertex. This suggests that a chip geometry with a rounded vertex is suitable for reliable high-power LEDs.