Implantation and annealing studies of Tm-implanted GaN

Thulium ions were implanted into metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) grown GaN films with different fluences at implantation temperatures of 20, 400 and 500degreesC. Subsequent annealing of the samples was performed in a rapid thermal annealing apparatus. The lattice damage introduced by the implantation and the effect of post-implant annealing were investigated with the Rutherford backscattering (RBS)/channelling technique. We observe that implantation at 500degreesC considerably reduces the induced lattice damage and increases the amorphisation threshold. The lattice-site location of the implanted ions was determined by performing detailed channelling measurements for the (0001) and (1011) crystal directions. The results show that Tm ions mainly occupy substitutional Ga-sites directly after implantation and after annealing. The optical properties of the ion-implanted GaN films have been studied by room temperature cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements. Well-defined emission due to infra-4f shell transitions of the Tm3+ ions are observed in the blue spectral range at 477 nm and in the near infra-red (IR) at 804 nm. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.