Influence of Dry Etching Damage on the Internal Quantum Efficiency of Nanorod InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Wells

The influence of dry etching damage on the internal quantum efficiency of InGaN/GaN nanorod multiple quantum wells (MQWs) is studied. The samples were etched by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching via a self-assembled nickel nanomask, and examined by room-temperature photoluminescence measurement. The key parameters in the etching process are rf power and ICP power. The internal quantum efficiency of nanorod MQWs shows a 5.6 times decrease substantially with the rf power increasing from 3 W to 100 W. However, it is slightly influenced by the ICP power, which shows 30% variation over a wide ICP power range between 30 W and 600 W. Under the optimized etching condition, the internal quantum efficiency of nanorod MQWs can be 40% that of the as-grown MQW sample, and the external quantum efficiency of nanorod MQWs can be about 4 times that of the as-grown one.