Ultraviolet light emitting AlGaN composition, and ultraviolet light emitting device containing same

A semiconductor-based ultraviolet light emitting device comprising:

• a first semiconductor layer;
• a second semiconductor layer;
• and
• an active layer disposed between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer, the active layer comprising a group III-Nitride alloy containing AlGaN having self-assembled nanometer-scale localized compositionally inhomogeneous regions having band-gap energies less than surrounding material,
• wherein, when the active layer is optically or electrically injected or pumped, ultraviolet light is emitted due to radiative recombination of carriers in the nanometer-scale inhomogeneous regions
• and further wherein the active layer has a fine scale facetted surface morphology or pits with diameters of about 10 to 100 nanometers formed therein.

A semiconductor-based ultraviolet light emitting device comprising:

• a first semiconductor layer;
• a second semiconductor layer;
• and
• an active layer disposed between the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer, the active layer comprising a group III-Nitride alloy containing AlGaN having nanometer-scale localized compositionally inhomogeneous regions having band-gap energies less than surrounding material and also having a fine scale facetted surface morphology having pits with diameters of about 10 to 100 nanometers formed therein,
• wherein, when the active layer is optically or electrically injected or pumped, ultraviolet light is emitted due to radiative recombination of carriers in the nanometer-scale inhomogeneous regions.