Er3+ INFRARED PHOTO- AND ELECTRO-LUMINESCENCE FROM Er-DOPED Si-RICH SILICON NITRIDE FILMS WITH VARYING Si AND Er CONTENTS

Abstract

Both Er -doped Si -rich silicon nitride ( Er : Si 3(1+x) N 4) films and electroluminescence (EL) devices with structure of indium tin oxide/ Er : Si 3(1+x) N 4/ p-Si with varying Si and Er contents have been fabricated by reactive magnetron sputtering technique. We have investigated the effects of the excess Si content in a wide range (x from 0 to 2.1) on the Er3+ 1.54 μm photoluminescence (PL), EL and the electrical transport of the Er : Si 3(1+x) N 4 films. It is found that the Er 3+ 1.54 μm PL intensity of the Er : Si 3(1+x) N 4 films and the EL power efficiency of the Er : Si 3(1+x) N 4 devices exhibit strong dependences on x and are enhanced by one to two orders of magnitude around x = 0.27 and x = 0.53, respectively. The Er concentration also has a great influence on both Er 3+ 1.54 μm PL and EL of the Er:Si 3(1+x) N 4 films. The optimum Er concentrations for PL and EL in the Er:Si 3(1+x) N 4 films with x = 0.53 are both ~3 at.%.