A study was made of the room-temperature electroluminescence that resulted from forward-biased n+-p diodes which contained high densities (108 to 109/cm2) of dislocations at the junction interface. In addition to an electroluminescence that arose from band-to-band transitions, a signal of comparable intensity was also observed which peaked at about 1.6 (0.78eV). On the basis of luminescence studies which were performed below room temperature, it was deduced that the 1.6 emission originated from the well-known dislocation-related center, D1. The electroluminescence intensity of the latter at room temperature increased linearly with current density, and did not exhibit saturation. The external efficiency of D1 electroluminescence at room temperature was estimated to be of the order of 10-6.

E.O.Sveinbjörnsson, J.Weber: Applied Physics Letters, 1996, 69[18], 2686-8