Pine-shaped AlN:Er<sup>3+</sup> nanostructure: A multifunctional material with both luminescent and magnetic properties

DING Xin; TIAN Zifeng; WANG Qiushi; LIU Cailong; CUI Hang

doi:10.7498/aps.74.20241587

Abstract

Erbium-doped aluminum nitride (AlN:Er³⁺) pine-shaped nanostructures are synthesized, through a direct reaction between aluminum (Al) and erbium oxide (Er₂O₃) mixed powders in a nitrogen (N₂) atmosphere, by using a direct current arc discharge plasma method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals that the diffraction peaks of AlN:Er³⁺ shift towards lower angles for the doped sample compared with those of undoped AlN, indicating lattice expansion due to Er³⁺ incorporation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms that Al, N, and Er are coexistent, while energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) quantitatively shows that the atomic ratio for Al:N:Er is about 46.9∶52.8∶0.3. The nanostructures, resembling pine trees, are measured to be 5–10 μm in height and 1–3 μm in width, with branch nanowires extending 500 nm–1 μm in length and 50–100 nm in diameter. These branches, radiating at about 60° from the main trunk, are found to grow along the [100] direction of wurtzite-structured AlN, as evidenced by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) showing lattice spacing of 0.27 nm corresponding to the (100) plane. Photoluminescence studies identify distinct emission peaks in the visible region (527, 548, and 679 nm) and near-infrared region (801, 871, and 977 nm), which is attributed to intra-4f electron transitions of Er³⁺ ions. The average lifetime of the excited state at 548 nm is measured to be 9.63 μs, slightly shorter than those of other Er³⁺-doped materials. The nanostructures demonstrate that the superior temperature sensing capability possesses a maximum relative sensitivity of 1.9×10^–2 K^–1 at 293 K, based on the fluorescence intensity ratio of thermal-coupled levels (²H_11/2/⁴S_3/2). Magnetic characterization reveals that the room-temperature ferromagnetism has a saturation magnetization of 0.055 emu/g and a coercive field of 49 Oe, with a Curie temperature exceeding 300 K, which shows the potential for room-temperature spintronic applications. First-principle calculations attribute the observed ferromagnetism to Al vacancies, whose formation energy is significantly reduced by Er doping, leading to a high concentration of Al vacancies. These findings highlight the potential of AlN:Er³⁺ pine-shaped nanostructures in various applications, including optoelectronics, temperature sensing, and dilute magnetic semiconductors.

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Corresponding author: WANG Qiushi, wang_jiu_jiu@foxmail.com

Funds: Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2023YFA1406200) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11874174).

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Er³⁺掺杂不同材料	S_r范围/(10^–2 K^–1)	T范围/K	文献	年份
AlN松树状纳米结构	0.53—1.9	293—553	本文	2024
AlN薄膜	0.25—2.2	110—550	[34]	2023
Sr₉Y₂W₄O₂₄	~1.33	293—443	[48]	2024
La₂MgTiO₆	~1.12	303—483	[54]	2021
LaGdO₃	0.1—1.2	298—900	[55]	2019
Ag@NaGdF₄	~0.42	298—573	[56]	2019
Sr₂YbF₇	~0.62	300—500	[57]	2015

DownLoad: CSV

体系	形成能/eV
体系	富Al	富N
V_Al	9.1935	6.1735
Er_Al + V_Al	10.35831	4.31831

DownLoad: CSV

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Vol. 74, Issue 6 - 2025-03-20

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