2.2.4 Optoelectronic Device Operation

The wide bandgap of SiC is useful for realizing short wavelength blue and ultraviolet (UV) optoelectronics. SiC-based blue pn-junction light emitting diodes LEDs were the first silicon carbide based devices to reach high volume commercial sales. These epitaxially-grown dry-etch mesa-isolated pn-junction diodes were the first mass-produced LEDs to cover the blue ($\sim$ 250 to 280 nm peak wavelength) portion of the visible color spectrum, which in turn enabled the realization of the first viable full-color LED-based displays [48].

While both blue and green SiC LEDs have been developed to the point of commercial viability with the blue being a relatively successful product, the brightness and efficiency of these devices is far below that of the III-nitride based blue and green LEDs developed in the past few years. As a result, the future of emitters which use SiC as the active structure appears to be quite limited. However, SiC is an excellent substrate for heteroepitaxial growth of III-nitrides structures grown on SiC. As such, SiC will continue to play a major role in future super-bright visible emitters and UV detectors.

T. Ayalew: SiC Semiconductor Devices Technology, Modeling, and Simulation