Photo and Electroluminescence of a-Si:Er:H

Abstract

Trivalent erbium (Er3+) presents a characteristic intra 4f optical transition 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 at 1.54 μm when incorporated in several solid hosts. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) is a good candidate as a host for applications in optical communications and photonic integration. We have studied Er3+ photo and electroluminescence in a-Si:H prepared by co-sputtering from a silicon target partially covered with metallic erbium chunks. Since the presence of oxygen impurities enhances the luminescence intensity, we studied the influence of oxygen added to the sputtering gas on the material properties. We found that oxygen reduces the erbium incorporation into the films. We obtained samples presenting 1.54 μm photoluminescence as deposited for a wide range of erbium concentrations. Maximum room-temperature photoluminescence efficiency is obtained for samples that contain ∼ 1% [O]/[Si] concentrations. The temperature quenching is small, mainly due to the temperature dependence of the luminescence lifetime.Room temperature electroluminescence at 1.54 νm was observed in reverse biased Si/a-Si:Er:O:H/Al structures.

Synthesis of Silicon Nanocrystals with Erbium-Rich Surface Layers

“…At present, the formation of luminescent nanophase Si , and rare earth incorporation into single-crystal Si − are being extensively studied as potential solutions to this dilemma. For the latter approach, the rare earth ion erbium is of particular interest because its 4 I 13/2 → 4 I 15/2 luminescent transition at 1.54 μm lies at a transmission maximum for silica-based waveguides. − Such studies have mainly involved erbium implanted into bulk Si 8 or porous Si, the co-deposition of erbium and silicon thin films, both crystalline or amorphous spin-on films, or erbium deposited into Si nanocrystal-rich SiO 2 . Recently, a process utilizing the kinetic trapping of erbium ions during the nucleation and growth of silicon nanoparticles in the gas phase has been developed in our laboratories .…”