Two charge states of the CN acceptor in GaN: Evidence from photoluminescence

Abstract

We have found a photoluminescence (PL) band with unusual properties in GaN. The blue band, termed as the ${\mathrm{BL}}_{C}$ band, has a maximum at about 2.9 eV and an extremely short lifetime (shorter than 1 ns for a free-electron concentration of about ${10}^{18}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$). The electron- and hole-capture coefficients for this defect-related band are estimated as ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$ and ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^{3}/\mathrm{s}$, respectively. The ${\mathrm{BL}}_{C}$ band is observed only in GaN samples with relatively high concentration of carbon impurity, where the yellow luminescence (the YL1 band) with a maximum at 2.2 eV is the dominant defect-related PL. Both the YL1 and ${\mathrm{BL}}_{C}$ bands likely originate from the ${\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{N}}$ defect, namely, from electron transitions via the $\ensuremath{-}/0$ and $0/+$ thermodynamic transition levels of the ${\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{N}}$. The ${\mathrm{BL}}_{C}$ band appears only at high excitation intensities in $n$-type GaN samples codoped with Si and C, and it can be found in a wide range of excitation intensities in semi-insulating (presumably $p$-type) GaN samples doped with C. The properties and behavior of the YL1 and ${\mathrm{BL}}_{C}$ bands can be explained using phenomenological models and first-principles calculations.