Kinetics of red AlGaAs light-emitting diodes degradation

The kinetics of the gradual degradation of red AlGaAs light-emitting diodes (LED) has been studied. This degradation has been shown to be due to diffusion of Zn atoms from the GaAs substrate to the p-n⁺ junction. The gradual degradation kinetics has been described on the basis of a diffusion model. It has been ascertained that the Zn atom diffusion process is not recombination-enhanced. At the same time the process of elastic stress relaxation, occuring at the initial stage of the LED degradation, is enhanced by the flowing current.