The Need

Ultraviolet light emitting diodes (LEDs) which utilize rare earth phosphors in wide to medium gap semiconductors have been developed over the past two decades with increasing use of wide gap materials such as Gallium Nitrite (GaN) and Aluminum Nitride (AlN) in thin film electroluminescent devices. Conventional Gd:AlN electroluminescent devices with emission in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum have historically been found to have high magnitudes of bias which makes them highly inefficient for portable applications which require low power.

The Technology

Researchers at the Ohio State University, led by Dr. Roberto Myers, have developed a narrow band ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diode (LED) based on a III-Nitride nanostructure. The narror band of emitted light is centered on a wavelength of 318 nm, operating with a bias that is two to three times lower than previous electroluminescent (EL) devices reducing power usage. The device is integrated on Si granting scalability Si-based processes provide. Narrow bandwidth LEDs are present in various fields including medicine, environmental engineering, and other interdisciplinary research.

Commercial Applications

• UV light for curing epoxy
• Sterilization
• Spectroscopic applications requiring narrow band light
• LEDs
• Medicine
• Water sterilization

Benefits/ Advantages

• Low power
• Multiple order-of-magnitude reduction in operating bias over Si-based processes