Stacking fault-associated polarized surface-emitted photoluminescence from zincblende InGaN/GaN quantum wells

Zincblende InGaN/GaN quantum wells offer a potential improvement to the efficiency of green light emission by removing the strong electric fields present in similar structures. However, a high density of stacking faults may have an impact on the recombination in these systems. In this work, scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray measurements demonstrate that one-dimensional nanostructures form due to indium segregation adjacent to stacking faults. In photoluminescence experiments, these structures emit visible light, which is optically polarized up to 86% at 10 K and up to 75% at room temperature. The emission redshifts and broadens as the well width increases from 2 nm to 8 nm. Photoluminescence excitation measurements indicate that carriers are captured by these structures from the rest of the quantum wells and recombine to emit light polarized along the length of these nanostructures.