Comparison of InGaN-Based LEDs Grown on Conventional Sapphire and Cone-Shape-Patterned Sapphire Substrate

To improve the external quantum efficiency, a high-quality InGaN/GaN film was grown on a cone-shape-patterned sapphire substrate (CSPSS) by using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The surface pattern of the CSPSS seems to be more helpful for the accommodative relaxation of compressive strain related to the lattice mismatch between GaN and a sapphire substrate because the growth mode of GaN on the CSPSS was similar to that of the epitaxial lateral overgrowth. The output power of a light-emitting diode (LED) grown on the CSPSS was estimated to be 16.5 mW at a forward current of 20 mA, which is improved by 35% compared to that of a LED grown on a conventional sapphire substrate. The significant enhancement in output power is attributed to both the increase of the extraction efficiency, resulted from the increase in photon escaping probability due to enhanced light scattering at the CSPSS, and the improvement of the crystal quality due to the reduction of dislocation.