Effects of Nitrogen Irradiation on Photoluminescence around 1.54 μm from Er-containing ZnO

The Er-containing ZnO specimens were treated through the N+ irradiation and the subsequent annealing, and the effect was investigated on the photoluminescence (PL) spectra around 1.54 μm. When the specimens were annealed at 1273 K in air after the N+ irradiation, the PL spectra changed remarkably. The PL intensity increased by about 35 times after the N+ irradiation and the subsequent annealing, and there was the attendant shift in the wavelength of the strongest peak from 1.534 to 1.539 μm. Thus, the N+ irradiation and the subsequent annealing could modify the local structure around Er3+ ions in ZnO, resulting in the surprisingly large enhancement of the PL intensity.