Enhanced emission efficiency and directionality in InGaN/GaN microLEDs laterally enclosed by distributed Bragg reflectors

Enhancing the efficiency and beam directivity of GaN micron-scale light-emitting diodes (µLEDs) is critical for visible-light communication, which has emerged as a promising platform for high-bandwidth optical links in data-center environments. We demonstrate a µLED design where the emitting mesa is laterally enclosed by a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). This design achieves ∼20% higher optical output through air-side emission and ∼130% higher optical output through substrate-side emission with ∼30% reduced divergence compared to reference devices enclosed by a TiO₂ film. Our results present a manufacturable route to efficient, directional µLEDs with applications in optical interconnects and advanced display technologies.