Near band-edge optical properties of cubic GaN with and without carbon doping

We report the results of studying the optical properties of cubic GaN thin films with photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopies. The films are deposited by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (001) substrates, with and without intentional doping with carbon atoms (p-type doping). The evolution of the optical spectra of the C-doped samples is consistent with a picture in which carbon enters into N-vacancies at low concentrations, producing a marked improvement in the crystalline properties of the material. At higher concentrations it begins to form complexes, possibly due to interstitial occupation. The temperature dependence on the absorption edge of the doped material is also measured and is analyzed with standard theoretical models.