Effect of growth temperature and doping concentration on the distribution of the emitting centers in CaF2:Er molecular beam epitaxial layers

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Abstract
Molecular beam epitaxy of Er‐doped CaF2 layers on (100)oriented CaF2 substrates was performed using CaF2 and ErF3 evaporation cells. The effect of growth temperature and Er concentration on the distribution of the different emission centers observed in these epitaxial Er‐doped layers was investigated. Photoluminescence analyses were performed in the 830–860 nm wavelength range in which the 4S3/2→4I13/2 transitions of the Er3+ ions take place. The evolution of the relative emission intensity between single and aggregate Er3+ centers as a function of growth temperature shows that the emission from isolated Er3+ ions is favored in a growth temperature range of 500–520 °C. Emission lines from complex Er3+ centers are found to rise relative to those of isolated sites as Er concentration increases. Finally, no quenching of the integrated luminescence intensity occurs in the concentration range investigated, 0.05–6 mol % (0.1–16 wt%).