Low-voltage blue light emission from n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction formed by RF magnetron sputtering method

High quality n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction was fabricated by growing highly crystalline ZnO epitaxial films on commercial p-type GaN substrates via radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. Low-voltage blue light emitting diode with a turn-on voltage of ∼2.5 V from the n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction was demonstrated. The diode gives a bright blue light emission located at ∼460 nm and a low threshold voltage of 2.7 V for emission. Based on the results of the photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) spectra, the origins of the EL emissions were studied in the light of energy band diagrams of ZnO–GaN heterojunction, and may attribute to the radiative recombination of the holes in p-GaN and the electrons injected from n-ZnO, which almost happened on the side of p-GaN layer. These results may have important implications for developing short wavelength optoelectronic devices.