Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia propose using selective thermal oxidation (STO) as a means to electrically isolate indium gallium nitride InGaN) micro-light-emitting diode (LED) arrays rather than the more usual mesa isolation through plasma etch [Zhiyuan Liu et al, Light: Science & Applications, v13, p117, 2024].

A problem with plasma etch is that it creates highly damaged sidewalls with many defects and dangling chemical bonds, which act as sites for non-radiative carrier recombination. Avoiding p…