GaN micro-rods on graphene make bendy LEDs

A team of researchers from Korea inched closer towards the commercialisation of "bendy" LED displays and solar cells with the help of inorganic compound semiconductor micro-rods and graphene.

Currently, most flexible electronics and optoelectronics devices are fabricated using organic materials. But inorganic compound semiconductors such as gallium nitride (GaN) can provide plenty of advantages over organic materials for use in these devices—including superior optical, electrical and mechanical properties.

One major obstacle that has so far prevented the use of inorganic compound semiconductors in these types of applications was the difficulty of growing them on flexible substrates.

Led by Professor Gyu-Chul Yi of Seoul National University (SNU), the researchers grew GaN micro-rods on a graphene substrate to create transferrable LEDs and enable the fabrication of bendable and stretchable devices.

"GaN microstructures and nanostructures are garnering attention within the research community as light-emitting devices because of their variable-colour light emission and high-density integration properties," explained Yi. "When combined with graphene substrates, these microstructures also show excellent tolerance for mechanical deformation."

Rendering of the micro-rod growth process. Source: SNU

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