Improved near-UV electroluminescence of ZnO nanorod array LEDs by coupling with a graphene plasmon layer
Zhang Cen,
Qiu Yue,
Liu Weizhen,
Xu Haiyang,
Yang Liu,
Wang Chunliang,
Liu Yichun
Affiliations
Zhang Cen
Centre for Advanced Optoelectronic Functional Materials Research and Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology (Northeast Normal University), Ministry of Education, Changchun130024, P.R. China
Qiu Yue
Centre for Advanced Optoelectronic Functional Materials Research and Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology (Northeast Normal University), Ministry of Education, Changchun130024, P.R. China
Liu Weizhen
Centre for Advanced Optoelectronic Functional Materials Research and Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology (Northeast Normal University), Ministry of Education, Changchun130024, P.R. China
Xu Haiyang
Centre for Advanced Optoelectronic Functional Materials Research and Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology (Northeast Normal University), Ministry of Education, Changchun130024, P.R. China
Yang Liu
Centre for Advanced Optoelectronic Functional Materials Research and Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology (Northeast Normal University), Ministry of Education, Changchun130024, P.R. China
Wang Chunliang
Centre for Advanced Optoelectronic Functional Materials Research and Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology (Northeast Normal University), Ministry of Education, Changchun130024, P.R. China
Liu Yichun
Centre for Advanced Optoelectronic Functional Materials Research and Key Laboratory of UV-Emitting Materials and Technology (Northeast Normal University), Ministry of Education, Changchun130024, P.R. China
The development of short-wavelength light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with high emission efficiency, a fascinating research area, is still necessary because of great scientific interest and practical significance. Here, a graphene plasmon layer treated by oxygen plasma was employed into ZnO nanorod/p-GaN LEDs for a surface plasmon effect. The graphene-decorated heterojunction exhibited an approximately 4-fold improvement of ZnO ultraviolet (UV) electroluminescence (EL) intensity relative to a primitive p-n junction device. Time-resolved spectroscopy and temperature-dependent luminescence measurement indicated that the EL enhancement resulted from the coupling of ZnO excitons with graphene surface plasmons. The current research not only provides an opportunity to construct three-dimensional architecture from a vertical array of one-dimensional nanorods and a two-dimensional graphene layer, but also proposes an effective strategy to improve near-UV emission efficiency in various devices.
