Summary and prospects for future work

This book provides a snapshot of recent progress in the field of rare-earth-doped group III-nitride semiconductors, especially GaN, but extending to AlN and the alloys AlGaN, AlInN and InGaN. This material class is currently enjoying an upsurge in interest due to its ideal suitability for both optoelectronic and spintronic applications. The text first introduces the reader to the historical background and the major theoretical challenges presented when 4f electron systems are embedded in a semiconductor matrix. It details the preparation of samples for experimental study, either by in-situ growth or ion implantation/annealing, and describes their microscopic structural characterisation. Optical spectroscopy is a dominant theme, complicated by site multiplicity, whether in homogeneous hosts or in heterostructures such as quantum dots, and enlivened by the abiding fascination of the energy transfer mechanism between the host material and the lumophore. Finally, the rapid progress towards prospective optoelectronic and spintronic devices is presented along with several examples