Optical excitation and external photoluminescence quantum efficiency of Eu3+ in GaN

We investigate photoluminescence of Eu-related emission in a GaN host consisting of thin layers grown by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy. By comparing it with a reference sample of Eu-doped Y₂O₃, we find that the fraction of Eu(3+) ions that can emit light upon optical excitation is of the order of 1%. We also measure the quantum yield of the Eu-related photoluminescence and find this to reach (~10%) and (~3%) under continuous wave and pulsed excitation, respectively.