Optical absorption of polar and semipolar InGaN/GaN quantum wells for blue to green converter structures

The optical absorption of indium gallium nitride (InGaN)/GaN multi quantum wells (QWs) is analyzed theoretically and experimentally. For different sample structures, either planar or three-dimensional, including QWs with different tilts relative to the (0001) plane of the wurtzite crystal, the room temperature absorption spectra were measured. We observe increasing absorption for larger indium content in the active zone and for increasing QW thickness. The semipolar structures with their reduced internal electric field are favorable with respect to the spectral absorption when compared with polar samples. Numerical k . p based simulations for quantum wells with variable thickness, indium content, and orientation are in accordance with the experimental results. By taking all QW energy eigenstates in all bands as well as the orientation dependent transition probabilities into account, the spectral absorption for arbitrary sample structures can be calculated. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.