Photoluminescence Study of GaN Implanted with Erbium and Erbium-Oxygen

Erbium emits at 1540 nm, which propagates well through fiber optic cables. This work studies the photoluminescence (PL) from GaN, GaN implanted with Er alone, and GaN implanted with both Er and O as functions of excitation laser energy and sample temperature. When the exciton bound to a neutral donor recombined, a photon was emitted at 3.47 eV. A photon emitted at 3.457 eV may have been evidence of the recombination of an exciton bound to a neutral acceptor. Second, the Er-ion transitions were observed in two groups around 0.805 and 1.25 eV. The PL intensity was measured at four laser excitation wavelengths of 275.4-305.5, 333.6-363.8, 488.0, and 514.5 nm from an Ar-ion laser. Although the PL intensities from GaN:Er were strongest when the sample was excited by the 275.4-305.5 nm multiline, the PL emissions from GaN:Er+O were strongest when excited with the 333.6-363.8 nm line. Regardless, both above and below bandgap laser lines induced strong PL intensities. Third, PL form the two samples was studied as temperature was increased from 2 to 150 K. In general, the intensities of most peaks decreased as temperature was raised in both samples, but the PL signals persist even at 150 K