Concentration quenching of Eu-related luminescence in Eu-doped GaN

The dependence of Europium (Eu)-related luminescence intensity on the Eu concentration in Eu-doped GaN was studied. This luminescence is observed at 622nm and originates from the intra-4f transition of the Eu3+ ion. The intensity of the luminescence increased with increasing Eu concentration, up to about 2at.%, and then abruptly decreased. It was found that polycrystalline growth began to be induced at Eu concentrations of more than 2at.%. In addition, clear evidence for the formation of EuN compounds was obtained by x-ray diffraction and extended x-ray absorption fine structure analysis. The cause of the concentration quenching is likely to be related to the polycrystalline growth as well as EuN formation.