This letter describes the improved output power of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) formed on a nanopatterned sapphire substrate (NPSS) prepared through etching with a self-assembled monolayer of 750-nm-diameter SiO2 nanospheres used as the mask. The output power of NPSS LEDs was 76% greater than that of LEDs on a flat sapphire substrate. Three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain calculation predicted a 40% enhancement in light extraction efficiency of NPSS LEDs. In addition, the reduction of full widths at half maximum in the omega-scan rocking curves for the (0 0 2) and (1 0 2) planes of GaN on NPSS suggested improved crystal quality. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3173817]
