Strain relaxation effect by nanotexturing InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well

The relaxation of lattice-mismatched strain by deep postetching was systematically investigated for InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs). A planar heterojunction wafer, which included an In(0.21)Ga(0.79)N (3.2 nm)/GaN (14.8 nm) MQW, was etched by inductively coupled plasma dry etching, to fabricate high-density nanopillar, nanostripe, and nanohole arrays. The etching depth was 570 nm for all nanostructures. The diameter of the nanopillars was varied from 50 to 300 nm, then the mesa stripe width of the nanostripes and the diameter of the nanoholes were varied from 100 nm to 440 nm and 50 nm to 310 nm, respectively. The effect of strain relaxation on various optical properties was investigated. For example, in an array of nanopillars with diameter 130 nm and interval 250 nm, a large blueshift in the photoluminescence (PL) emission peak from 510 nm (as-grown) to 459 nm occurred at room temperature (RT). PL internal quantum efficiency (defined by the ratio of PL integral intensity at 300 K to that at 4.2 K) was enhanced from 34% (as-grown) to 60%, and the PL decay time at 4.2 K was reduced from 22 ns (as-grown) to 4.2 ns. These results clearly indicate the reduction of lattice-mismatched strain by postetching, which enhanced strain reduction with decreasing nanopillar diameter down to a diameter of 130 nm, where the strain reduction became saturated. The dependence of RT-PL decay time on nanopillar diameter was measured, and the surface nonradiative recombination velocity was estimated to be 5.8x10(2) cm/s. This relatively slow rate indicates a little etching damage. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3369434]