ROOM-TEMPERATURE 1.5 MU-M PHOTOLUMINESCENCE OF ER3-DOPED ALXGA1-XAS NATIVE OXIDES()

Data are presented demonstrating 300 K, continuous wave (cw) photolumi nescence near lambda=1.53 mu m from Er-implanted Al0.8Ga0.2As films ox idized in water vapor (N-2+H2O, 500 degrees C) and annealed (1 h, 700 degrees C) in Ar + O-2. The 40 nm full width at half-maximum (FWHM) sp ectra are 1.5X broader and similar to 10X more intense relative to spe ctra from unoxidized but annealed samples. The fluorescence decay show s a tau = 7 ms lifetime, with a faster tau = 1.9 Ins component charact eristic of a cooperative upconversion mechanism. The data suggest that AlxGa1-xAs native oxides may provide a suitable host for rare-earth o ptical activity. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.