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A modification of the growth structure of Eu-doped GaN (GaN:Eu) from a monolayer to a multilayer structure (MLS) consisting of alternating GaN and GaN:Eu, was shown to enhance the emission properties. Similarly, lowering the growth temperature of the GaN:Eu to 960°C nearly doubled the photoluminescence emission intensity, and also enhanced device performance. Hence, to design a higher power GaN:Eu red LED, a multilayer structure consisting of 40 pairs of alternating GaN and GaN:Eu was grown at 960°C. This combination resulted in the fabrication of an LED with a maximum output power of 110 μW, which is 5.8 times more output power per GaN:Eu layer thickness as compared to the best previously reported device. Moreover, it was found that the MLS sample grown at 960°C maintained a high crystal quality with low surface roughness, which enabled an increase in the number of pairs from 40 pairs to 100 pairs. An MLS-LED consisting of 100 pairs of alternating GaN/GaN:Eu layers was successfully fabricated, and had a maximum output power of 375 μW with an external quantum efficiency of 4.6%. These are the highest values reported for this system.

Eu-doped GaN is a promising material for the active layer in red light emitting diodes. Although the output power of LEDs based on GaN:Eu has been increasing by a combination of structural and growth optimizations, there is still a significant limitation resulting from a poor light extraction efficiency, typical for high refractive index materials. Here we studied nanostructuring of the top of the optical active layer by nano-cubes for enhancement of the light extraction efficiency, and its effect on the optical emission characteristics. By etching nano-cubes into the active layer, we observed an increase in directional light output power of Eu3+ ions of up to 60%, as well as a grating effect. Simultaneously, the absorption of excitation light into the optical active layer was improved, leading to a 12.8 times increase of output power per available Eu3+ ion.

A silicon/europium-codoped GaN epilayer (GaN:Si,Eu3+) and a control sample (GaN:Si) have been investigated using optical spectroscopy and various deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) techniques. Three electron traps in GaN:Si,Eu3+, as well as one electron trap and one hole trap in GaN:Si, were observed in the temperature range from 35 K to 400 K by DLTS. High-resolution Laplace DLTS revealed multiple, closely spaced defect energy levels associated with trap B of GaN:Si,Eu3+ and trap D of GaN:Si, respectively. Minority-carrier transient spectroscopy (MCTS) measurements revealed a shallow hole trap in GaN:Si,Eu3+, whose presence was validated using the rare-earth-structured isovalent (RESI) hole trap model. The identified DLTS energy traps were compared with other energy traps reported in literature. Also, the energy transfer mechanism between the GaN host and Eu3+ ion was considered and discussed using the combination of electrical and optical studies reported here and in literature.

In this work, GaN epilayer in situ doped with Eu3+ ions was deposited on the top of an undoped n-GaN/LT-GaN/sapphire structure by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy. A set of different ohmic and Schottky contacts on GaN:Eu3+ surface was fabricated by electron-beam evaporation for performing deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurement. The deep defect energy levels in GaN:Eu3+ epilayer were assessed by standard DLTS and high resolution Laplace DLTS (L-DLTS). Three dominant DLTS peaks were observed in the temperature range from 35 K to 400 K. The calculated activation energies of these defect energy levels were 0.108 ± 0.03 eV (Trap A), 0.287 ± 0.04 eV (Trap B) and 0.485 ± 0.06 eV (Trap C) below conduction band edge, respectively. High resolution L-DLTS conducted for the GaN:Eu3+ epilayer revealed at least four closely spaced defect energy levels associated with Trap B. It is proposed that these defect energy levels correspond to the selected optically active Eu3+ ion centers in GaN host previously identified by optical studies in this material (Fujiwara and Dierolf in Jpn J Appl Phys 53:05FA13, 2014).

The internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of an electrically-driven GaN:Eu based device for red light emission is analyzed in the framework of a current injection efficiency model (CIE). The excitation path of the Eu+3 ion is decomposed in a multiple level system, which includes the carrier transport phenomena across the GaN/GaN:Eu/GaN active region of the device, and the interactions among traps, Eu+3 ions and the GaN host. The identification and analysis of the limiting factors of the IQE are accomplished through the CIE model. The CIE model provides a guidance for high IQE in the electrically-driven GaN:Eu based red light emitters.

A physically intuitive current injection efficiency model for a GaN:Eu quantum well (QW) has been developed to clarify the necessary means to achieve device quantum efficiency higher than the state-of-the-art GaN:Eu system for red light emission. The identification and analysis of limiting factors for high internal quantum efficiencies (IQE) are accomplished through the current injection efficiency model. In addition, the issue of the significantly lower IQE in the electrically-driven GaN:Eu devices in comparison to the optically-pumped GaN:Eu devices is clarified in the framework of this injection efficiency model. The improved understanding of the quantum efficiency issue through current injection efficiency model provides a pathway to address the limiting factors in electrically-driven devices. Based on our developed injection efficiency model, several experimental approaches have been suggested to address the limitations in achieving high IQE GaN:Eu QW based devices in red spectral regime.

The detrimental influence of oxygen on the performance and reliability of V/III nitride based devices is well known. However, the influence of oxygen on the nature of the incorporation of other co-dopants, such as rare earth ions, has been largely overlooked in GaN. Here, we report the first comprehensive study of the critical role that oxygen has on Eu in GaN, as well as atomic scale observation of diffusion and local concentration of both atoms in the crystal lattice. We find that oxygen plays an integral role in the location, stability and local defect structure around the Eu ions that were doped into the GaN host. Although the availability of oxygen is essential for these properties, it renders the material incompatible with GaN-based devices. However, the utilization of the normally occurring oxygen in GaN is promoted through structural manipulation, reducing its concentration by 2 orders of magnitude, while maintaining both the material quality and the favorable optical properties of the Eu ions. These findings open the way for full integration of RE dopants for optoelectronic functionalities in the existing GaN platform.

We have performed photoluminescence (PL) measurements on magnetic semiconductor GaAs:Er,O under pulsed magnetic fields up to 60 T at 4.2 K. We have succeeded in observing the Zeeman effect of the 4 I 13/2→4 I 15/2 PL transition of the Er3+ in the high magnetic field region. The effective g-factor of the dominant PL transition is estimated to be g eff=1.54±0.04. This value is in reasonable agreement with the theoretical value based on the crystal field theory.

The crystallinity of a GaN epitaxial layer on a sapphire substrate after the mechanical ding process was estimated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopic analysis. TEM observation results showed that, the screw dislocations as a threading dislocation were induced by the mechanical dicing process in the limited area up to approximately 1.2 μm from the dicing-line. On the other hand, the crystal strains were up to approximately 7 μm from the dicing-line edge measured by the Raman spectroscopic analysis. The distance difference between the area of the screw dislocations and of the residual strain is caused by the stress relaxation.

In-situdoped Eu ions in GaN grown by Organometallic Vapor-phase Epitaxy (OMVPE) at different pressures were investigated under different excitation methods and through the use of the following experimental techniques: (1) resonant site-selective laser irradiation (2) electron beam excitation, and (3) a dual excitation using a combination of electron beam and laser irradiation. With these means, we have examined the difference in the excitation pathways that result from resonant laser and electron hole (e-h) pair excitation of Eu ions for two different distinct incorporation sites, which are responsible for most of the luminescence. We have obtained clear evidence that e-h pairs do not have the ability to excite all of the ions and that there is excitation trapping by defects involved in the Eu excitation.

We report site-selective studies of the Zeeman splittings that are observed for magnetic fields up to 6.6T for different Eu incorporation sites in GaN. Utilizing resonant excitation with visible light, we are able to distinguish the site and find for one center (Eu1) a splitting into five components as expected for C3v symmetry. The corresponding g-values are 1.66 and 1.90. The two lines of another center Eu2 each split into two levels corresponding to g-values of 1.9 and 2.84. Most surprisingly a third center, for which only one line is clearly identified, a g-value of 6.16 is found which is larger than can be explained for a 7F2 purely ionic Eu state.

X-ray-excited luminescence of GaN doped with Eu ions as a luminescent center was observed in the wavelength range from 350 nm to 650 nm. Three peaks at 375 nm, 550 nm and 622 nm were found. To survey the mechanism of the photoluminescence due to non-resonance excitation, photoluminescence X-ray excitation spectra are also measured. The mechanism of the luminescence occurrence was briefly discussed based on the model developed by Emura et al.

We investigated the electroluminescence (EL) properties of Eu-doped GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE). The thickness of the active layer was varied to increase the light output power. With increasing the active layer thickness, the light output power monotonically increased. The maximum light output power of 50 μW was obtained for an active layer thickness of 900 nm with an injected current of 20 mA, which is the highest value ever reported. The corresponding external quantum efficiency was 0.12%. The applied voltage for the LED operation also increased with the active layer thickness due to an increase in the resistance of the LED. Therefore, in terms of power efficiency, the optimized active layer thickness was around 600 nm. These results indicate that the optimization of the LED structure would effectively improve the luminescence properties.

Spinel ferrite oxides doping non-magnetic ions show the photo-induced magnetization (PIM) effect at high temperature [1-3]. Such a magnetization enhancement by light irradiation is a unique property in this material. In order effectively to use the PIM effect and precisely to control the magnetism, direct light-emission from light-emitting element substrates would be a useful technique. In this study, spinel ferrite Al0.2Ru0.8Fe2O4 (ARFO) thin films, with the high temperature PIM effect, were prepared on GaAs(001) substrates by a pulsed laser deposition technique to aim integration with light-emitting devices based on GaAs lattice-matched materials in the future. Results showed that (001)-oriented ARFO thin films were successfully grown by using MgO buffer layers. The magnetic properties were approximately the same as ARFO films using other substrates such as Al2O3(0001) or MgO(001).

Carrier dynamics in Er,O-codoped GaAs (GaAs:Er,O) have been systematically investigated by means of a pump and probe reflection technique with a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser. In GaAs:Er,O, it has been found that the codoping produces a single atom configuration (Er-20 configuration) as an Er atom located at the Ga sublattice with two adjacent O atoms together with two As atoms, resulting in extremely strong Er luminescence. Time-resolved reflectivity of GaAs:Er,O exhibited an abrupt increase in amplitude, followed by a steep decrease to negative in less than 1 ps and then a gradual increase in approximately 100 ps. The steep decrease is due to bandgap renormalization. The gradual increase in reflectivity depended strongly on Er concentration, indicating that a trap induced by Er and O codoping plays an important role in dynamics of nonequilibrium carriers in GaAs:Er,O.

Room-temperature Er-related electroluminescence (EL) properties have been investigated in Er,O-codoped GaAs (GaAs:Er,O) light emitting diodes (LEDs) grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE). Under forward bias, characteristic emission due to a luminescence center consisting of Er coordinated by O and As was clearly observed at room temperature, while the Er-related EL was undetectable under reverse bias. At lower current densities, the EL intensity increased linearly with the current density. Subsequently, the intensity exhibited a tendency to saturate at higher current densities. By analyzing the behavior with a fitting according to rate equations, the excitation cross section of Er ions due to current injection was determined to be approximately 10-15 cm2, which is by five orders in magnitude larger than that for optical excitation in Er-doped fiber amplifiers (10-20∼10-21 cm2).

The inhibition of lipid peroxidation of erythrocyte membranes by glutathione-dependent protection was studied in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Incubation of red cells from diabetics with 1.5 mM t-butyl hydroperoxide resulted in a lipid peroxidation increase greater than that of normal controls. Glutathione-dependent and glutathione-independent protection against oxidative damage was examined using an artificial system, in which erythrocyte ghosts were incubated with t-butyl peroxide and dialysed hemolysate in the presence or the absence of 2 mM glutathione. The glutathione-dependent protection of hemolysate from diabetics was approximately 70% of that from normal controls. The results suggest that decrease in glutathione-dependent protection against lipid peroxidation, along with decrease in glutathione levels, increases oxidative damage in erythrocyte membranes taken from diabetic patients.

We have measured systematically the Cr-related zero-phonon lines in the 0.839 eV region in a series of plastically-bent semi-insulating GaAs:Cr with compressive or tensile stress along various bending axes. As a result, it has been found that the residual stress in semi-insulating GaAs:Cr wafers can be sensitively characterized from a splitting and energy shift of the 0.839 eV Cr-related luminescence lines in the low-temperature photoluminescence spectra. Furthermore, we have applied this method to the characterization of the interface stress of OMVPE-grown ZnSe/GaAs:Cr heterostructure and found that anomalous stress exists at the ZnSe/GaAs interface, which is inconsistent with stress predicted by the lattice mismatch of the heterojunctions.