Amorphous BeN as a new solid host for rare-earth-related luminescent materials

Beryllium-nitride (BeN) thin films were prepared by sputtering a Be target in an atmosphere of pure nitrogen. The films were doped with samarium simply by placing a piece of Sin metal on the surface of the Be target. Under these deposition conditions the films present an amorphous structure and an optical bandgap of approx. 4 eV. They also exhibit visible light emission due to Sm3+ ions as a result of either photon or electron excitation. The present experimental results show that amorphous BeN films are suitable, and efficient, III-nitride hosts for rare-earth doping purposes.