Performance Enhancement of GaN-Based Light-Emitting Diodes with Magnesium Nitride Inter-Layers.

High quality GaN epilayers were obtained by using a magnesium nitride (MgxNy) inter-layer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals Mg 2p core-level spectra from the MgxNy inter-layers. The roughness of the MgxNy layers increased with the growth time, though a prolonged processing time resulted in a decrease in the roughness. A high-resolution X-ray diffraction ω-scan rocking curve was used to reveal that the screw dislocation density (TDD) of GaN with an MgxNy inter-layer was reduced and the crystalline quality of the GaN epitaxial layer was enhanced. Furthermore, the luminous efficiency of an LED with the MgxNy layers was increased by 20% relative to a reference LED.