Spectroscopic characterization of Er optical center in multiple quantum wells AlN/GaN:Er

Er doped GaN material is known to result in the formation of luminescent centers suitable for applications in optoelectronic devices. We report here a significant enhancement of photoluminescence from the Er optical center at 1.5 micrometer in multi-nanolayer structures AlN/GaN:Er synthesized by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The enhancement of photoluminescence from Er optical center can be explained via the carrier confinement and strain engineering of multi-nanolayer structures. We study the influence of the quantum wells and barrier width on the photoluminescence at 1.5 micrometer using time-resolved and high-resolution photoluminescence spectroscopy at a large range of temperature. The ability of controlling the carrier confinement in multi-nanolayer structures provides us the possibility of engineering Er doped GaN photonic devices with enhanced optical characteristics at 1.54 micrometer.