Efficiency droop effects of GaN-based light-emitting diodes on the performance of code division multiple access visible-light communication system.

The physical mechanism in efficiency droop of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) was investigated using a modified rate equation model considering inhomogeneous carrier distribution and was compared with the measured result. On this basis, the efficiency droop effect on the performance of a code division multiple access (CDMA) visible-light communication (VLC) system using GaN-based LEDs was also analyzed. The results reveal that the obvious transmitted signal error under the effect of LED efficiency droop leads to performance deterioration of multiuser CDMA VLC systems. Also, the performance of CDMA VLC systems is reduced with the user number increase due to LED efficiency droop. The bit error rate of a CDMA VLC system was further calculated for different branch signal levels and bias currents. It is demonstrated that the efficiency droop effect on the performance of CDMA VLC systems can be alleviated by adjusting the branch signal level and the bias current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]