Theory 013/Optics & Photonics

Droop Begins at a Density

The claim

LED efficiency droop begins at a carrier density threshold where Auger recombination overtakes radiative recombination, so the onset current scales with active volume.

01The mechanism

Auger is cubic in carrier density while radiative recombination is quadratic, so a crossover exists.

02Predictions

P1Droop onset should scale with active volume.
P2Devices with larger volumes should droop later.

03Refutation

Droop onset independent of volume would favour a field-driven mechanism.