Time-resolved cathodoluminescence and photocurrent study of the yellow band in Si-doped GaN

Abstract

Time-resolved cathodoluminescence (TRCL) and photocurrent (PC) spectroscopies have been applied to the study of the yellow band of Si-doped GaN. Measurements carried out combining both techniques unambiguously reveal the complex nature of this broad emission and confirm that different deep defect levels are involved in the observed luminescence. Five emission bands centered at 1.89, 2.03, 2.16, 2.29, and 2.38 eV were found by steady state and time-resolved CL investigations, while PC spectra showed four transitions at about 2.01, 2.14, 2.28, and 2.43 eV. The behavior of the deep-level emissions intensity as a function of the excitation pulse width as well as their decay times were investigated by TRCL. A decay time of 245 mus was measured for the 2.29 eV emission band, while longer decay times of 315 and 340 mus were found, respectively, for the 2.16 and 2.38 eV bands, in agreement with TRCL spectra. The appearance of the 2.03, 2.16, 2.29 eV and 2.38-2.43 eV peaks both in PC and CL spectra suggests that these bands are related to deep acceptor to band transitions, as supported by the single exponential character of the corresponding decay transients.