Participation of Defects Localized at Heterointerfaces and Extended Defects in the Degradation of Nitride-Based Light-Emitting Devices

A decrease in external quantum efficiency (EQE) of commercial LEDs based on MQW InGaN/GaN at wavelengths of 445, 530 and MQW AlGaN/GaN at 280 nm was experimentally studied in the standard aging mode at direct current. The decrease in EQE (regardless of the radiation wavelength) is found out to occur due to cooperative phenomena developing in 1-2 quantum wells (QWs) located in the space charge region (SCR) around the p-n junction, as well as in most of the QWs outside of SCR. It is shown that the inhomogeneous flow of current in these regions leads not only to the transformation of defects localized at heteroboundaries in the SCR and in lateral inhomogeneities in the alloy composition outside of SCR as well as in the extended defects, but also to a change in the alloy composition.