Influence of laser lift-off on optical and structural properties of InGaN/GaN vertical blue light emitting diodes

The influences of the laser lift-off (LLO) process on the InGaN/GaN blue light emitting diode (LED) structures, grown on sapphire substrates by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, have been comprehensively investigated. The vertical LED structures on Cu carriers are fabricated using electroplating, LLO, and inductively coupled plasma etching processes sequentially. A detailed study is performed on the variation of defect concentration and optical properties, before and after the LLO process, employing high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations, cathodoluminescence (CL), photoluminescence (PL), and high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurements. The SEM observations on the distribution of dislocations after the LLO show well that even the GaN layer near to the multiple quantum wells (MQWs) is damaged. The CL measurements reveal that the peak energy of the InGaN/GaN MQW emission exhibits a blue-shift after the LLO process in addition to a reduced intensity. These behaviors are attributed to a diffusion of indium through the defects created by the LLO and creation of non-radiative recombination centers. The observed phenomena thus suggest that the MQWs, the active region of the InGaN/GaN light emitting diodes, may be damaged by the LLO process when thickness of the GaN layer below the MQW is made to be 5 μm, a conventional thickness. The CL images on the boundary between the KrF irradiated and non-irradiated regions suggest that the propagation of the KrF laser beam and an accompanied recombination enhanced defect reaction, rather than the propagation of a thermal shock wave, are the main origin of the damage effects of the LLO process on the InGaN/GaN MQWs and the n-GaN layer as well.