Auger carrier leakage in III-nitride quantum-well light emitting diodes

Auger induced leakage is shown to be a contributing factor for the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) droop in III‐nitride quantum‐well light emitting diodes (LEDs). The mechanism is based on leakage current from carrier spill‐out of the well originating from energy transfer during Auger recombination. Adding this leakage reduces the Auger coefficient by 50% when compared to a standard Auger model with cubic density dependence. As reference, experimental data of a green quantum‐well LED are taken. Direct leakage due to non‐ideal carrier capture and re‐emission out of the well affects the IQE at current densities much larger than the maximum IQE point. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) This Letter reports on an Auger leakage model as an intrinsic side effect of the Auger process. It has a significant impact on the internal quantum efficiency versus current characteristics of wide band gap III‐nitride quantum‐well light emitting diodes (LEDs). Compared to a standard Auger model, Auger leakage reduces the Auger coefficient needed to explain experimental data by 50%, with all other parameters kept constant.