Hybrid inorganic/organic semiconductor heterostructures with efficient non-radiative energy transfer

Hybrid inorganic/organic semiconductor structures offer the prospect of new devices that can combine the excellent electrical conductivity of inorganic materials with the attractive luminescence properties of organic materials. Consequently, devices based on dipole-dipole energy transfer from inorganic semiconductors to conjugated polymers can produce highly efficient emission across the entire visible spectrum. We have investigated hybrid structures containing InGaN/GaN single quantum wells (QWs) that are spaced from fluorene-based polymer films by thin cap layers of GaN. Provided their electronic states are matched [1, 2], the close proximity of the polymer film to the QW promotes efficient non-radiative (Forster) energy transfer, resulting in a strong visible emission from the hybrid devices.