Suppression of leakage current in InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum well LEDs by N₂O plasma treatment

The effect of N₂O plasma treatment on the reverse leakage currents in InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum well (MQW) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) was investigated. The reverse leakage current of an MQW LED after an N ₂O plasma treatment was decreased by two orders of magnitude compared to that of an untreated LED. This can be attributed to the passivation of surface and sidewall damage on the GaN, produced as a result of the dry etching process during fabrication of the LED for electrode formation. These results reveal that nonradiative defects can be reduced by N₂O plasma passivation and the reverse leakage current in an MQW LED can be substantially decreased, resulting in an improvement in the optical output of the MQW LED.