Realization of high-efficiency AlGaN deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with polarization-induced doping of the p-AlGaN hole injection layer

We investigate the polarization-induced doping in the gradient variation of Al composition in the pAl_(0.75)Ga_(0.25)N/Al_xGa_(1-x)N hole injection layer(HIL)for deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes(DUV-LEDs)with an ultrathin p-GaN(4 nm)ohmic contact layer capable of emitting 277 nm.The experimental results show that the external quantum efficiency(EQE)and wall plug efficiency(WPE)of the structure graded from 0.75 to 0.55 in the HIL reach 5.49%and 5.04%,which are improved significantly by 182%and 209%,respectively,compared with the structure graded from 0.75 to 0.45,exhibiting a tremendous improvement.Both theoretical speculations and simulation results support that the larger the difference between 0.75 and x in the HIL,the higher the hole concentration that should be induced;thus,the DUV-LED has a higher internal quantum efficiency(IQE).Meanwhile,as the value of x decreases,the absorption of the DUV light emitted from the active region by the HIL is enhanced,reducing the light extraction efficiency(LEE).The IQE and LEE together affect the EQE performance of DUV-LEDs.To trade off the contradiction between the enhanced IQE and decreased LEE caused by the decrease in Al composition,the Al composition in the HIL was optimized through theoretical calculations and experiments.

Self‑Generated Buried Submicrocavities for High‑Performance Near‑Infrared Perovskite Light‑Emitting Diode

ABSTRACT Embedding submicrocavities is an effective approach to improve the light out-coupling efficiency(LOCE)for planar perovskite light-emitting diodes(PeLEDs).In this work,we employ phenethylammonium iodide(PEAI)to trigger the Ostwald ripening for the downward recrystallization of perovskite,resulting in spontaneous formation of buried submicrocavities as light output coupler.The simulation suggests the buried submicrocavities can improve the LOCE from 26.8 to 36.2%for near-infrared light.Therefore,PeLED yields peak external quantum efficiency(EQE)increasing from 17.3%at current density of 114 mA cm^(−2)to 25.5%at current density of 109 mA cm^(−2)and a radiance increasing from 109 to 487 W sr^(−1)m^(−2)with low rolling-off.The turn-on voltage decreased from 1.25 to 1.15 V at 0.1 W sr^(−1)m^(−2).Besides,downward recrystallization process slightly reduces the trap density from 8.90×10^(15)to 7.27×10^(15)cm^(−3).This work provides a self-assembly method to integrate buried output coupler for boosting the performance of PeLEDs.

A Facile Route to Cotton-Like BiOCl Nanomaterial with Enhanced Dye-Sensitized Visible Light Photocatalytic Efficiency

A facile route is developed to fabricate BiOCI porous cotton-like nanostructure by using Bi203 and hydrochlo- ric acid as raw materials. The BiOCI nanomaterial is actually hierarchically structured by numerous ultrathin nanosheets. The nanosheets are around 50-500 nm in lateral size and 2-12 nm in thickness. High-resolution trans- mission electron microscopy and selected-area electron diffraction analyses indicate that single-crystalline BiOCl nanosheets have the predominant growth direction along [110], the bottom and top surfaces are {001} facets, and four lateral surfaces are {110} facets. The BiOCl nanosheets are dominantly enclosed by {001} facets. From the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy spectrum, the light absorption edge and band gap energy （Eg） are estimated to be 416 nm and 2.98eV, respectively. The BiOCl photocatalyst possesses superior activity for methyl orange （MO） degradation under visible light irradiation and the photodegradation efficiency is up to 91.5%/180 min. The correlation between morphology and microstructure with enhanced MO-sensitized photodegradation performance under visible light is investigated.

Improving the Light Extraction Efficiency of GaN-Based Light-Emitting Diode

The light extraction efficiency caused by total internal reflection is low. Based on the analysis of the existing technology, a new design scheme is proposed in this paper to improve the light extraction efficiency. The air gap photonic crystal is embedded on the GaN-based patterned sapphire substrate, which can reduce line misalignment and improve light extraction efficiency. The internal structure of the GaN-based LED epitaxial layer is composed of an electron emission layer, a quantum well in the light-emitting recombination region, and an electron blocking layer. Experimental results show that this method significantly improves the extraction efficiency of LED light.

240 nm AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet micro-LEDs:size effect versus edge effect

240 nm AlGaN-based micro-LEDs with different sizes are designed and fabricated.Then,the external quantum efficiency(EQE)and light extraction efficiency(LEE)are systematically investigated by comparing size and edge effects.Here,it is revealed that the peak optical output power increases by 81.83%with the size shrinking from 50.0 to 25.0μm.Thereinto,the LEE increases by 26.21%and the LEE enhancement mainly comes from the sidewall light extraction.Most notably,transversemagnetic(TM)mode light intensifies faster as the size shrinks due to the tilted mesa side-wall and Al reflector design.However,when it turns to 12.5μm sized micro-LEDs,the output power is lower than 25.0μm sized ones.The underlying mechanism is that even though protected by SiO2 passivation,the edge effect which leads to current leakage and Shockley-Read-Hall(SRH)recombination deteriorates rapidly with the size further shrinking.Moreover,the ratio of the p-contact area to mesa area is much lower,which deteriorates the p-type current spreading at the mesa edge.These findings show a role of thumb for the design of high efficiency micro-LEDs with wavelength below 250 nm,which will pave the way for wide applications of deep ultraviolet(DUV)micro-LEDs.

Effects of extreme soil water stress on photosynthetic efficiency and water consumption characteristics of Tamarix chinensis in China's Yellow River Delta

Soil moisture is a major limiting factor for plant growth on shell ridge islands in the Yellow River Delta. However, it is difficult to carry out situ experiment to study dominant plant photosynthesis physiological on the shell ridge islands under extreme soil water stress. To evaluate the adaptability of plants to light and moisture variations under extreme soil moisture conditions present on these islands, we measured photosynthetic gas exchange process, chlorophyll fluorescence, and stem sap flow variables for 3-year-old trees of Tamarix chinensis Lour, a restoration species on these islands, subjected to three types of soil water levels： waterlogging stress （WS）, alternating dry-wet （WD）, and severe drought stress （SS） to inform decisions on its planting and management on shell ridge islands. Gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, and stem sap flow in T. chinensis were then measured. Net photosynthetic rate （PN）, transpiration rate （E）, and water use efficiency （WUE） were similar under WS and alternating dry-wet conditions, but their mean E and WUE differed significantly （P 〈 0.05）. Under SS, the PN, E and WErE of T. chinensis leaves varied slightly, and mean PN, E and WUE were all low. Apparent quantum efficiency （AQY）, light compensation point （LCP）, light saturation point （LSP）, and maximum net photosynthetic rate （PNmax） of leaves were not significantly different （P 〉 0.05） under WS and dry-wet conditions; however, under extreme drought stress, compared with the dry-wet conditions, LCP was higher, Lsp was lower, and AQy and PNmax were both at the lowest level. Therefore, drought stress weakened light adaptability of leaves, and the efficiency of light transformation was poorer. （3） Maximum photochemical efficiency （Fv/Fm） and the actual photochemical efficiency （ΦPSII） were similar under waterlogged stress and dry-wet conditions, indicating a similar healthy photosynthetic apparatus and photosynthetic reaction cen- ter activity, respectively. Under SS, Fv/Fm was 0.631, and the coefficient of non-photochemical quenching （NpQ） was 0.814, which indicated that while the photosynthetic mechanism was damaged, the absorbed light energy was mainly dissipated in the form of heat, and the potential photosynthetic productivity was significantly reduced. The daily cumulants of sap flow of T. chinensis under drywet alternation and severe drought stress were. 22.25 and 63.97% higher, respectively, than under waterlogging stress. Daily changes in sap flow velocity for T. chinensis differed under the three soil water levels. Stem sap flow was weak at night under severe drought stress. Under drywet alternation, daytime average stem sap flow velocity was the highest, and night stem flow accounted for 10.26% of the day cumulants, while under waterlogged stress, the average nightly stem flow velocity was the highest, accounting for 31.82% of the day cumulants. These results provide important information for regional vegetation restoration and ecological reconstruction.

A 10×10 deep ultraviolet light-emitting micro-LED array

In this work,we design and fabricate a deep ultraviolet(DUV)light-emitting array consisting of 10×10 micro-LEDs(μ-LEDs)with each device having 20μm in diameter.Strikingly,the array demonstrates a significant enhancement of total light output power by nearly 52%at the injection current of 100 mA,in comparison to a conventional large LED chip whose emitting area is the same as the array.A much higher(~22%)peak external quantum efficiency,as well as a smaller efficiency droop forμ-LED array,was also achieved.The numerical calculation reveals that the performance boost can be attributed to the higher light extraction efficiency at the edge of eachμ-LED.Additionally,the far-field pattern measurement shows that theμ-LED array possesses a better forward directionality of emission.These findings shed light on the enhancement of the DUV LEDs performance and provide new insights in controlling the light behavior of theμ-LEDs.

Characteristics of Light Availability Under Forest Canopies and Its Influences on Photosynthesis of Understory Plants

Available light under forest canopies includes two components, diffuse light and direct light (sunflecks), and is characterized as low and highly dynamic. Understory habitats under different forest types experience different light conditions. Sunflecks as a critical resource for understory plants have great importance on carbon gain of understory plants. Under the light-limiting habitat, understory plants exhibit a high light utilization efficiency attributed by a post-illumination CO2 uptake. Although different species have different photosynthetic responses, shade plants appear to be acclimated to respond more quickly and efficiently to sunflecks. This acclimation includes a faster induction, relatively lower rate of induction loss, lower photosynthetic compensation point, and higher water use efficiency. The process that shade plants harvest light energy is not well known. Studies of photosynthetic responses to sunflecks in natural conditions are rare. Little is known about constraints on sunfleck utilization, which may change seasonally. Extensive field studies in conjunction with laboratory investigations will be needed to further understand potential and actual constraints on sunfleck utilization. Most studies on photosynthetic responses to fluctuating light condition were done in the level of leaves. Fluctuating light utilization on the basis of whole plants and populations presents future challenges to ecologists.

Analysis of photonic crystal on LED extraction efficiency

Because of its very low light extraction efficiency(LEE),LED is limited to be widely used under the condition of the internal quantum efficiency which up to 90%.In order to fullfill the design of a more efficient GaN-based blue light LED,the model including deeply etched surface photonic crystals(PhCs)LED is discussed using mode analysis method from light waveguide theory.The distributions of all order modes in GaN layer are obtained by the effective index approximation.The light extraction efficiencies are also calculated by finite-difference time-domain method(FDTD).The emulated results fully coincide with the former analysis.Because the manufacture of the surface photonic crystal is feasible,the work can be very meaningful to design and manufacture the high efficiency GaN-based blue light LED in factory for a large amount.

Development of Evaluation Method of Daylighting Duct System Considering Inner Light Flux

Currently, daylighting ducts system is widely used as a daylighting device. Generally, daylighting duct system efficiently takes light from outside during the day, and conveys daylight to required location through light duct manufactured by high reflectance mirror. Daylighting duct system can convey daylight to underground space that has no windows opening to external space. Daylighting system is composed of light collection part, light guide part and light emission part. Efficiency of daylighting system is depending on type of each part used in the system. However, it is very difficult to estimate exact light flow in the system considering type of the parts. Authors performed measurement experiments to make clear the light flow with real-size model and miniature model of daylighting duct system. We discussed effect of type of the parts on efficiency of daylighting duct system.

Highly Efficient and Stable Hybrid White Organic Light Emitting Diodes with Controllable Exciton Behavior by a Mixed Bipolar Interlayer

Highly efficient and stable hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes （HWOLEDs） with a mixed bipolar interlayer between fluorescent blue and phosphorescent yellow emitting layers are demonstrated. The bipolar interlayer is a mixture of p-type diphenyl （l0-phenyl-lOH-spiro [acridine-9,9＇-fluoren]-3Lyl） phosphine oxide and n-type 2＇,2- （1,3,5-benzinetriyl）-tris（1-phenyl-l-H-benzimidazole）. The electroluminance and Commission Internationale de l＇Eclairage （CIE1931） coordinates＇ characteristics can be modulated easily by adjusting the ratio of the hole- predominated material to the electron-predominated material in the interlayer. The hybrid WOLED with a p-type：n-type ratio of 1：3 shows a maximum current efficiency and power efficiency of 61.1 ed/A and 55.8 lm/W, respectively, with warm white CIE coordinates of （0.34, 0.43）. The excellent efficiency and adaptive CIE coordi- nates are attributed to the mixed interlayer with improved charge carrier balance, optimized exciton distribution, and enhanced harvesting of singlet and triplet excitons.

Approaching the theoretical efficiency limit of quantum-dot lightemitting diodes via synergistic optimization

The importance of optical resonance in enhancing light outcoupling efficiency(OCE)is frequently overlooked in conventional bottom-emitting quantum-dot light-emitting diodes(QLEDs)due to their weak microcavity effect.Herein,we show that by synergistically optimizing the optical and the electrical performances,QLEDs with efficiency approaching the theoretical limit can be realized.By introducing a high refractive index indium zinc oxide(IZO)electrode and optimizing its thickness,the light OCE is significantly improved and consequently the red QLEDs exhibit an external quantum efficiency(EQE)of 33.2%,which is 1.4-fold higher than that of the reference devices with conventional indium tin oxide(ITO)electrodes.Moreover,with a high refractive index plastic substrate and a microlens array,the EQE can further be improved to a record value of 37.5%.Similar results are obtained in green and blue devices,which show an EQE of 18.8%and 14.4%,respectively.We also predict that the theoretical EQE limit of red,green,and blue QLEDs can reach 35.4%-36.5%,24.8%-34.0%,and 25.1%-35.8%,respectively,without using any light outcoupling structures.The proposed synergistic optimization strategy enables the efficiencies of red,green,and blue QLEDs to approach their theoretical limits.

The contribution of distant hybridization with decaploid Agropyron elongatum to wheat improvement in China

Wheat is a staple food crop in the world as well as in China. Because of the progress of wheat breeding and other agricultural ＂sci-technologies, the wheat grain yield per unit area has increased more than five folds from 1952 to 2006 in China. The first part of this article briefly reviews the history of wheat breeding in China. Second, the establishment of ＂Triticum aestivum-Agropyron＂ distant hybridization system and its contribution to wheat production and breeding in China are summarized. Finally, the future challenges of wheat breeding are discussed, which include how to increase the utilization efficiencies of water, soil nutrient and light energy through breeding. As an example, our research progress on how to increase light use efficiency in wheat through breeding is introduced and discussed.

LIGHT INTERCEPTION AND USE EFFICIENCY DIFFER WITH MAIZE PLANT DENSITY IN MAIZE-PEANUT INTERCROPPING

Intercropping increases crop yields by optimizing light interception and/or use efficiency.Although intercropping combinations and metrics have been reported,the effects of plant density on light use are not well documented.Here,we examined the light interception and use efficiency in maize-peanut intercropping with different maize plant densities in two row configurations in semiarid dryland agriculture over a two-year period.The field experiment comprised four cropping systems,i.e.,monocropped maize,monocropped peanut,maize-peanut intercropping with two rows of maize and four rows of peanut,intercropping with four rows of maize and four rows of peanut,and three maize plant densities(3.0,4.5 and 6.0 plants m^(-1) row)in both monocropped and intercropping maize.The mean total light interception in intercropping across years and densities was 779 MJ·m^(-2),5.5%higher than in monocropped peanut(737 MJ·m^(-2))and 7.6%lower than in monocropped maize(843 MJ·m^(-2)).Increasing maize density increased light interception in monocropped maize but did not affect the total light interception in the intercrops.Across years the LUE of maize was 2.9 g·MJ–1 and was not affected by cropping system but increased with maize plant density.The LUE of peanut was enhanced in intercropping,especially in a wetter year.The yield advantage of maize-peanut intercropping resulted mainly from the LUE of peanut.These results will help to optimize agronomic management and system design and provide evidence for system level light use efficiency in intercropping.

A recommended rate for application of Chaetomium globosum ND35 fungus fertilizer on poplar plantations in China

Previous studies showed that Chaetomium globosum ND35 fungus fertilizer can improve the microbial community structure and enzyme activities of replanted soil. However, it remains unclear whether can improve the physiological and ecological characteristics of plants under successive rotation. In this study, we investigated the photosynthetic, physiological, and biochemical indexes including photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence, and chlorophyll content of 1-yeax-old poplar seedlings under seven different doses （range from 0 to 1.67 g kg-1） of C. globosum ND35 fungus fertilizer to study the effects of fungus fertilizer on photosynthesis of Poplar. Our results showed that： （1） With increasing application of fungus fertilizer in replanted soil, chlorophyll content of poplar leaves （Chl） increased, while physiological indexes such as electron transport rate （ETR）, net photosynthetic rate （Pn）, quantum efficiency （φ）, nitrate reductase （NR） activity and root vigor initially increased and then declined. Meanwhile, heat dissipation that depended on the xanthophyll cycle declined and nonphotochemical quenching （NPQ） initially increased and then decreased. When the dose of C. globosum ND35 fungus fertilizer was 0.67 g kg-1 （T3） and 1.00 g kg-1 （T4）, excess light energy of photosynthetic apparatus was reduced, and photosynthetic apparatus distributed more light energy to the direction of photochemical reactions, which improved the efficiency of energy use. Plant height and biomass of leaves, stems, and roots were maximum at T3. We conclude that applying appropriate amounts of C. globosum ND35 fungus fertilizer can improve root physiological activity and capacity for use of light by poplar leaves. This can improve the operating states of the photosynthetic apparatus and lead to increased photosynthetic efficiency of poplar leaves and accumulation of dry matter.This suggests a strategy to alleviate the successive rotation obstacle of soil nutrient depletion.

Progress in research of GaN-based LEDs fabricated on SiC substrate

The influence of buffer layer growth conditions on the crystal quality and residual stress of GaN film grown on silicon carbide substrate is investigated. It is found that the A1GaN nucleation layer with high growth temperature can efficiently decrease the dislocation density and stress of the GaN film compared with A1N buffer layer. To increase the light extraction efficiency of GaN-based LEDs on SiC substrate, flip-chip structure and thin film flip-chip structure were designed and optimized. The fabricated blue LED had a maximum wall-plug efficiency of 72% at 80 mA. At 350 mA, the output power, the Vf, the dominant wavelength, and the wall-plug efficiency of the blue LED were 644 roW, 2.95 V, 460 nm, and 63%, respectively.

Enhancement of light extraction efficiency in OLED with two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs

Light extraction efficiency of organic light emitting diode （OLED） based on various photonic crystal slab （PCS） structures was studied. By using the finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） method, we investigated the effect of several parameters, including filling factor and lattice constant, on the enhancement of light extraction efficiency of three basic PCSs, and got the most effective one. Two novel designs of ＂interlaced＂ and ＂double-interlaced＂ PCS structures based on the most effective basic PCS structure were introduced, and the ＂interlaced＂ one was proved to be even more efficient than its prototype. Large enhancement of light extraction efficiency resulted from the coupling to leaky modes in the expended light cone of a band structure, the diffraction in the space between columns, as well as the strong scattering at indium-tinoxide/glass interfaces.

18.01%Efficiency organic solar cell and 2.53%light utilization efficiency semitransparent organic solar cell enabled by optimizing PM6:Y6 active layer morphology

Optimizing the photoactive layer morphology is a simple,promising way to improve the power conversion efficiencies(PCEs)of organic solar cells(OSCs).Here,we compared different post-processing treatments on PM6:Y6 blend films and relevant effects on device performances,including as-cast,thermal annealing and solvent annealing.This solvent annealing processes can effectively improve the vertical distribution and aggregation of polymer donors and small molecule acceptors,then optimize the active layer film morphology,ultimately elevating PCE.Thus,one of champion efficiencies of 18.01%was achieved based on the PM6:Y6 binary OSCs.In addition,a relatively high light utilization efficiency(2.53%)was achieved when a transparent electrode made of Cu(1 nm)and Ag(15 nm)was utilized to fabricate a semitransparent OSC with a remarkable PCE of 13.07%and 19.33%average visible-light transmittance.These results demonstrated that carefully optimizing morphology of active layer is conducive to achieving a high-performance OSC.

Tapering-induced enhancement of light extraction efficiency of nanowire deep ultraviolet LED by theoretical simulations

A nanowire(NW) structure provides an alternative scheme for deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes(DUV-LEDs)that promises high material quality and better light extraction efficiency(LEE). In this report, we investigate the influence of the tapering angle of closely packed Al Ga N NWs, which is found to exist naturally in molecular beam epitaxy(MBE) grown NW structures, on the LEE of NW DUV-LEDs. It is observed that, by having a small tapering angle, the vertical extraction is greatly enhanced for both transverse magnetic(TM) and transverse electric(TE) polarizations. Most notably, the vertical extraction of TM emission increased from 4.8% to 24.3%,which makes the LEE reasonably large to achieve high-performance DUV-LEDs. This is because the breaking of symmetry in the vertical direction changes the propagation of the light significantly to allow more coupling into radiation modes. Finally, we introduce errors to the NW positions to show the advantages of the tapered NW structures can be projected to random closely packed NW arrays. The results obtained in this paper can provide guidelines for designing efficient NW DUV-LEDs.