Hexagonal Boron Nitride Passivation Layer for Improving the Performance and Reliability of InGaN/GaN Light-Emitting Diodes

• Published in: Applied Sciences
• Main Authors: Gun-Hee Lee, Tran-Viet Cuong, Dong-Kyu Yeo, Hyunjin Cho, Beo-Deul Ryu, Eun-Mi Kim, Tae-Sik Nam, Eun-Kyung Suh, Tae-Hoon Seo, Chang-Hee Hong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-10-01
• Subjects: light emitting diodes; h-BN; passivation; operating temperature
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/19/9321
• ISSN: 2076-3417

We introduce a low temperature process for coating InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with h-BN as a passivation layer. The effect of h-BN on device performance and reliability is investigated. At −5 V, the leakage current of the h-BN passivated LED was −1.15 × 10⁻⁹ A, which was one order lower than the reference LED’s leakage current of −1.09 × 10⁻⁸ A. The h-BN layer minimizes the leakage current characteristics and operating temperature by acting as a passivation and heat dispersion layer. With a reduced working temperature of 33 from 45 °C, the LED lifetime was extended 2.5 times following h-BN passivation. According to our findings, h-BN passivation significantly improves LED reliability.