Thermal Quenching of Er-Related Luminescence in GaInP Doped with Er by Organometallic Vapor Phase Epitaxy

Thermal quenching of Er-related photoluminescence (PL) due to intra-4f shell transitions of Er3+ ions has been investigated in Ga x In1-x P (0≤x≤1) doped with Er by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE). In GaInP grown on GaP and InP, the 4.2 K PL intensity gradually increases with increasing Ga composition, while the spectral shape remains unchanged. In GaInP grown on GaAs, the 4.2 K PL spectrum is dominated by three emission lines whose relative intensity depends on the Ga composition. Thermal quenching of the Er-related luminescence gradually decreases with increasing Ga composition, i.e., increasing band gap. PL lifetimes and their temperature variations are discussed in relation to deep-level properties of Er in the excitation mechanism of the 4f shell.