Erbium-doped GaAs light-emitting diodes emitting erbium f-shell luminescence at 1.54 µm

GaAs light-emitting diodes emitting at 1.54 µm have been fabricated using Er-doped GaAs grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition, and the output characteristics are reported for the first time. Characteristic emission from the internal 4f-shell transitions of erbium is observed even at room temperature, and the wavelength shifts by less than the measurement resolution of 1 nm over the temperature range from 180K to 296 K. These results confirm the possibility of fabricating stable light sources using rare earth doped semiconductors.