Bulk and surface recombination in InAs/AlAs0.16Sb0.84 3.45 μm light emitting diodes

A study of the light generation efficiency of a series of InAs/AlAs0.16Sb0.84 light emitting diodes with p-type InAs active layers is reported. The bulk low-injection radiative efficiency of the p-type material is shown to be as high as 24% at a hole concentration of 1.5x10(17) cm(-3) but to decrease with increasing hole concentration in a manner consistent with the dominant low-injection nonradiative processes being Auger processes with two holes in their initial states and a total rate constant of 2x10(-28) cm(6) s(-1). The maximum internal low-drive quantum efficiency achieved in the light emitting diodes is shown to be limited by interface recombination at the InAs/AlAs0.16Sb0.84 heterojunction and reabsorption in the active layer in addition to the bulk nonradiative processes in the InAs. A maximum value of similar to 9% is achieved. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)00308-9].