Photoluminescence of bulk Eu-doped GaN crystals

A study of the variation of photoluminescence spectra of bulk Eu-doped GaN samples revealed that the dopant can reside in the crystal in various charge states depending on the total defect concentration in the starting semiconductor host matrix. In crystals with the lowest concentration of shallow-level defects, the ion can exist only in one charge state, Eu³⁺. At higher concentrations of such defects, Eu can be observed in two charge states, Eu²⁺ and Eu³⁺. A rare-earth impurity was found to act as a getter of defects in the starting GaN matrix.