A nanoporous AlN layer patterned by anodic aluminum oxide and its application as a buffer layer in a GaN-based light-emitting diode.

This work investigates a nanoporous aluminum nitride (AlN) layer prepared using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) process and its application as a buffer layer for a GaN-based light-emitting diode (LED) fabricated on sapphire substrate. Following this AAO process, the average pore spacing and pore diameter of the nanoporous AlN layer were in the ranges 180-200 nm and 100-150 nm, respectively. The light output power of the GaN-based LED with a nanoporous AlN layer was about 53% higher than that of a GaN-based LED without a nanoporous AlN layer at an injection current of 20 mA. At an injection current of 80 mA, the light output power was increased by about 34%.