Efficient sensitized photoluminescence of Er silicate in silicon oxide films embedded with amorphous silicon clusters, part II: photoluminescence

Abstract

We report on the sensitized photoluminescence (PL) of Er silicates in a-Si-embedded Er silicate films. A two-step annealing process is utilized, where the first step determines the distribution and the sizes of the a-Si embedded structure and the second step modifies the crystal quality and the phase composition of Er silicates as well as the concentration of sensitizers. The determination of the annealing temperatures and the annealing time for each step requires an overall consideration of these factors. Optimized PL from Er silicates sensitized by luminescent centers (LCs) such as neutral oxygen vacancy (NOV) or non-bridging oxygen hole center (NBOHC) have been achieved in the film annealed at 1000 °C for 30 min followed by 1100 °C for 30 min, which is composed of well-crystallized y-Er2Si2O7 embedded with a-Si clusters.