We report a detailed crystal field analysis of Pm 3+ and Sm 3+ as well as lattice location studies of 147 Pm and 147 Nd in 2H-aluminum nitride ͑w-AlN͒. The isotopes of mass 147 were produced by nuclear fission and implanted at an energy of 60 keV. The decay chain of interest in this work is 147 Nd→ 147 Pm→ 147 Sm ͑stable͒. Lattice location studies applying the emission channeling technique were carried out using the  − particles and conversion electrons emitted in the radioactive decay of 147 Nd→ 147 Pm. The samples were investigated as implanted, and also they were investigated after annealing to temperatures of 873 K as well as 1373 K. The main fraction of about 60% of both 147 Pm as well as 147 Nd atoms was located on substitutional Al sites in the AlN lattice; the remainder of the ions were located randomly within the AlN lattice. Following radioactive decay of 147 Nd, the cathodoluminescence spectra of Pm 3+ and Sm 3+ were obtained between 500 nm and 1050 nm at sample temperatures between 12 K and 300 K. High-resolution emission spectra, representing intra-4f electron transitions, were analyzed to establish the crystal-field splitting of the energy levels of Sm 3+ ͑4f 5 ͒ and Pm 3+ ͑4f 4 ͒ in cationic sites having C 3v symmetry in the AlN lattice. Using crystal-field splitting models, we obtained a rms deviation of 6 cm −1 between 31 calculated-to-experimental energy ͑Stark͒ levels for Sm 3+ in AlN. The results are similar to those reported for Sm 3+ implanted into GaN. Using a set of crystal-field splitting parameters B nm , for Pm 3+ derived from the present Sm 3+ analysis, we calculated the splitting for the 5 F 1 , 5 I 4 , and 5 I 5 multiplet manifolds in Pm 3+ and obtained good agreement between the calculated and the experimental Stark levels. Temperature-dependent lifetime measurements are also reported for the emitting levels 4 F 5/2 ͑Sm 3+ ͒ and 5 F 1 ͑Pm 3+ ͒.