  Nanocrystalline n-AlN:Er thin films were deposited on (001) Silicon
substrates by r. f. magnetron sputtering at room temperature to study the
correlation between 1.54 $\mu$m IR photoluminescence (PL) intensity, AlN
crystalline structure and Er concentration rate. This study first presents how
Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy of X-rays (EDSX) Er Cliff Lorimer sensitivity
factor alpha = 5 is obtained by combining EDSX and electron probe micro
analysis (EPMA) results on reference samples. It secondly presents the relative
PL intensities of nanocrystallized samples prepared with identical sputtering
parameters as a function of the Er concentration. The structure of crystallites
in AlN films is observed by transmission electron microscopy.
