Tunable emission from Eu:SiOxNy thin films prepared by integrated magnetron sputtering and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

This paper reports tunable emission of trivalent (Eu3+) and divalent (Eu2+) europium (Eu) from SiOxNy films fabricated by integrated electron cyclotron plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and magnetron sputtering. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of intense red emission from Eu3+ around 600 nm and blue (cyan) broadband emission from 400 to 750 nm of Eu2+ are observed under daylight conditions with the naked eye. The spectra reveal a strong dependency of the PL on the atomic concentration of the dopant and the silicon/nitrogen ratio. The atomic composition of the films is investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and elastic recoil detection analysis. Values of the refractive indices are obtained by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. To confirm the presence of crystalline phases of europium silicate Eu4.67(SiO4)3O [Eu2(Si2O7)] and europium silicon oxynitride (EuSi2N2O2) distributed in the amorphous host matrix of SiOxNy, high-resolution x-ray diffraction is used. The findings of this work are promising toward the realization of europium-doped Si-based materials for photonics and lighting technologies.

Synthesis and spectroscopic properties of aluminum oxynitride doped with 3d-metal ions: the case of γ-AlON:Co

“…The materials are widely employed in armored windows [5], electrodes for chemical current sources [6], temperature sensors [7], nonlinear optics elements [8], gate dielectric layers in microelectronics [9], and optical media for lasers and LEDs [10,11]. Specifically, aluminum oxynitride (AlON) exhibits a wide optical gap ranging from 5.2 to 5.9 eV, making it suitable for use as a phosphor matrix that can be doped with transition and rare earth metal ions.…”

Optical and Structural Properties of Europium-Doped Silicon Oxide Fabricated Using Integrated Sputtering and Chemical Vapour Deposition

“…13 Wilson et al studied the emission of cerium (Ce) and terbium (Tb) doped silicon oxide (SiO x ) thin films where higher energy photons were converted to lower energy photons (down-conversion) and selected green and blue light were achieved 13 Among RE materials, europium (Eu) is found in two different oxidation states of Eu 2+ and Eu 3+ which can emit blue and red light, respectively. 14,15 Co-doped or tri-doped materials are conventional to be used as multi light emitters, however, by one single doping element with multiple luminescence centers we can take advantage of avoiding the complexity of combined doping which also offers different degradation rates and a more complicated fabrication process. 16 Absorbing ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the wavelength range of 320 to 370 nm, Eu complexes can emit red light with a wavelength of 611 nm which is in favour of plant photosynthesis.…”