Strain-engineered light emitting diodes: a pathway to enhanced radiative efficiency and tunable optoelectronic performance

Strain engineering is a powerful tool for tuning optical and electronic properties in light-emitting diode (LED) structures. In 3D cylindrical LEDs, strain distribution becomes complex due to non-planar geometries, affecting carrier injection, emission efficiency, and device reliability. Strain engineering has emerged as a key enabler for modulating the band structure, enhancing carrier confinement, and tailoring emission wavelengths in light-emitting diodes. This work synthesizes recent advances highlighting the critical role of lattice mismatch-induced strain, strained-layer superlattices, quantum dots, and nanowire geometries in optimizing radiative efficiency and tunability in III-V and wide bandgap LEDs. Emphasis is placed on the impact of strain on carrier dynamics, defect suppression, heat dissipation, and quantum efficiency. We also explore how strain-driven design paradigms extend into the mid-infrared and deep-UV regimes, unlocking new frontiers in high-power, flexible, and wavelength-specific LED applications. In this work, we simulate a 3D cylindrical GaAs/AlGaAs LED structure to investigate self-heating-induced effects on internal quantum efficiency (IQE), recombination, and spectral shifts and analyze lattice temperature distribution under bias using a thermally coupled drift-diffusion model.