Abstract
We propose a method of realizing strong ultraviolet emission from InGaN/AlGaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) grown by a multi-step process. During growth of the quantum well layer, only trimethylindium (TMIn) and ammonia were introduced into the reactor, followed by a growth interruption treatment before growth of AlGaN barriers. The growth temperature of QWs dominates the photoluminescence (PL) emission peak position and surface morphologies of the films. It was found that the PL spectra of the samples with MQWs grown at 685 degrees C showed a strong UV emission at 380 nm. The correlation between surface structures and optical characteristics was studied by cathodoluminescence microscopy. The electroluminescence spectra under various injection currents showed a weak carrier localization effect induced by a quantum-confined Stark effect in the MQW.