Light extraction enhancement of vertical LED by growing ZnO nano-rods on tips of pyramids

Creating a pyramidal structure on an n-GaN surface is considered the most effective approach for maximizing light extraction of n-side-up GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). This letter shows that the light extraction efficiency of a pyramidal n-GaN surface can be further enhanced by growing ZnO nano-rods (NRs) specifically on the tips of the pyramids on the n-GaN surface. Using tip-only ZnO NRs, the light-output power of an n-side-up LED with a pyramidal n-GaN surface can be further enhanced by 49.6% at 250 mA. This improved light extraction efficiency is due to the multiple facets on the ZnO NRs.