Optical and crystalline properties of Yb implanted InP

Abstract

The effect of the annealing temperature on the optical and crystalline properties of 2 MeV Yb+ ion-implanted InP are systematically studied by photoluminescence (PL), photoluminescence excitation (PLE), selectively excited photoluminescence (SPL), and Raman scattering measurements. PL measurements present that the recrystallization of the implanted layers and the optical activation of Yb3+ begin at 450 °C and 500–550 °C, respectively. It is demonstrated from the Raman experiments that there is a continuous restoration in radiation damages when the as-implanted samples are annealed at temperatures between 450 °C and 550 °C. However, beyond 550 °C, the crystalline quality near the surface is shown to be degraded. For an explanation of this point, a comparison with optical micrographs is conducted. From the PLE spectra of Yb-related luminescence, it is concluded that the highest crystalline quality of Yb+ implanted layers could be achieved by annealing at 750 °C for 15 min. In the PLE spectra, a band observed earlier at 1.409 eV (8800 Å) is recognized to be split into two peaks at 1.409 eV (8798 Å) and 1.408 eV (8806 Å), denoted by B1 and B2, respectively. A convictive assignment for these two peaks is proposed. Furthermore, an unusual broad band at 1.24 eV, which is observed only in SPL spectrum when the excitation is set on B1 energy, is described.