Influence of the magnetron power on the Er-related photoluminescence of AlN:Er films prepared by magnetron sputtering

The effect of magnetron power on the room temperature 1.54 μm infra-red photoluminescence intensity of erbium doped AlN films grown by r.f. magnetron sputtering, has been studied. The AlN:Er thin films were deposited on (001) Silicon substrates. The study presents relative photoluminescence intensities of nanocrystallized samples prepared with identical sputtering parameters for two erbium doping levels (0.5 and 1.5 at%). The structural evolution of the crystallites as a function of the power is followed by transmission electron microscopy. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)