Project funded by the National Science Centre (NCN) under the “SONATA BIS-12” competition
Project number: 2022/46/E/ST3/00383
Project value: 1,944,300.00 PLN
Funding amount: 1,944,300.00 PLN
Project duration: 02/10/2023 – 01/10/2027
Project manager: Łukasz Janicki, PhD
Project implemented in consortium:
Łukasiewicz Research Network – PORT Polish Center for Technology Development
The goal of this project is to exploit the unique properties of micropillar III-nitride structures to develop ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The success of this project will bring us closer to creating efficient UV light sources capable of replacing mercury lamps, which are still widely used today.
A major advantage of the micropillar geometry in nitride-based LEDs lies in the enhanced light extraction enabled by the structural shape. In traditional planar LEDs, most of the emitted light becomes trapped inside the structure due to total internal reflection, caused by the difference in refractive indices between the diode material and its surroundings. Without the use of complex and costly optical solutions, only a small fraction of the generated radiation escapes from planar LEDs.
In contrast, micropillar-based emitters guide light along the structure’s axis, similarly to optical fibers, allowing a significantly higher portion of emitted radiation to exit the device without the need for additional extraction techniques. This approach provides a promising pathway toward the development of high-efficiency UV emitters with simplified architecture and lower production costs.
