Photoluminescence of Er in strained Si on SiGe layer

Abstract

We studied photoluminescence of Er in strained Si on a SiGe layer (Si:Er:O/SiGe) and unstrained Si on a Si layer (Si:Er:O/Si) grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Er-related photoluminescence was observed in both Si:Er:O/SiGe and Si:Er:O/Si samples. The peak intensity of Si:Er:O/SiGe at 1.54 μm was higher than that of Si:Er:O/Si. Moreover, the spectrum of strained Si (Si:Er:O/SiGe) was much broader than that of unstrained Si (Si:Er:O/Si). These differences between Si:Er:O/SiGe and Si:Er:O/Si suggest that the optical activation of Er can be enhanced by the presence of strain.