Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
The overall objective of this research is to develop temperature stable 1.54 ptm light sources based upon ionic emitters. LEDs and diode lasers were fabricated in MOCVD grown AIGaAs materials but only weak electroluminescence was observed. The III-V compound semiconductors were doped with erbium amide sources of the form: Er{N[Si(CH 3)3]R}3 where R s an organic unit. These amide sources had reduced carbon and oxygen levels in a GaAs film compared to the use of a cyclopentadienyl erbium source, but did dope the semiconductor with silicon. Silicon doping levels were a function of growth temperature. Erbium photoluminescence was enhanced with oxygen codoping, but diode electrical characteristics were degraded. PLE showed that erbium ions were excited by above bandgap light absorbed by GaAs.