Progress in III-Nitride Tunnel Junctions for Optoelectronic Devices
Matthew S. Wong, James S. Speck, Shuji Nakamura, Steven P. DenBaars
Abstract
The recent progress in III-nitride tunnel junction (TJ) contacts for optoelectronic devices is summarized in this review paper. Due to the rapid developments of various III-nitride based optoelectronic devices for different emerging applications, TJs are of interest for these devices to achieve more efficient device performance. This review paper first briefly describes the working principles of TJs and the advantages of employing TJs in optoelectronic devices. The significant advancements in III-nitride TJs realized by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are addressed, as well as their TJ device performances. Lastly, the critical challenges for employing III-nitride TJs in wide bandgap ultraviolet (UV) light emitters are discussed for future investigations.