We have investigated the annealing effect of V-doped GaN (GaN:V) epitaxial layers grown on sapphire by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The film was annealed at a temperature of 1075 degrees C for 30 min in N-2 ambient after growth. The structural, surface morphology and optical properties of GaN:V films were studied by high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), atomic force microscope (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL). The results show that the annealing makes for the destruction in the crystal quality and surface morphology. After thermal annealing, the photoluminescence (PL) measurement showed a reduction of the blue luminescence (BL) band observed in GaN:V at room temperature (RT). The phenomenon is attributed to vanadium diffusion or to the V-related complex dissociation. Near-band-edge (NBE) peak exhibited a red shift after 1075 degrees C anneal. This is due to the decrease in the level of strain. In the infrared region, we observed the emergence of the line 0.93 eV accompanied by a decrease in the intensity of the 0.82 eV emission. Their possible origins are discussed. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.