Abstract
In situ Yb-doped amorphous carbon thin films were grown on Si substrates at low temperatures (<200 °C) by a simple one-step RF-PEMOCVD system as a potential photonic material for direct integration with Si CMOS back end-of-line processing. Room temperature photoluminescence around 1 µm was observed via direct incorporation of optically active Yb3+ ions from the selected Yb(fod)3 metal-organic compound. The partially fluorinated Yb(fod)3 compound assists the suppression of photoluminescence quenching by substitution of C–H with C–F bonds. A four-fold enhancement of Yb photoluminescence was demonstrated via deuteration of the a-C host. The substrate temperature greatly influences the relative deposition rate of the plasma dissociated metal-organic species, and hence the concentration of the various elements. Yb and F incorporation are promoted at lower substrate temperatures, and suppressed at higher substrate temperatures. O concentration is slightly elevated at higher substrate temperatures. Photoluminescence was limited by the concentration of Yb within the film, the concentration of Yb ions in the +3 state, and the relative amount of quenching due to the various de-excitation pathways associated with the vibrational modes of the host a-C network. The observed wide full-width-at-half-maximum photoluminescence signal is a result of the variety of local bonding environments due to the a-C matrix, and the bonding of the Yb3+ ions to O and/or F ions as observed in the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses.
Highlights
IntroductionThe integration of optical technologies into microelectronic devices has been researched as a viable solution to overcome the speed bottlenecks associated with the ever shrinking of device feature size [1]
The integration of optical technologies into microelectronic devices has been researched as a viable solution to overcome the speed bottlenecks associated with the ever shrinking of device feature size [1].Er-implanted in Si, SiO2, and ceramic based host thin films [2,3] has been shown to produce photons efficiently from Er3+ ions at 1.5 μm, a strategic wavelength for telecommunications
It is noteworthy that the resultant amorphous carbon (a-C):H:F(Yb) films may contain O–H bonds which form during the decomposition of the
Summary
The integration of optical technologies into microelectronic devices has been researched as a viable solution to overcome the speed bottlenecks associated with the ever shrinking of device feature size [1]. For Yb doped YAG [11], YSO [14,15], and KY(WO4)2 [17] thin films, the liquid phase epitaxial (LPE) method has been employed to fabricate homogeneous crystalline films from a molten solute diluted in a solvent Their growth and post-deposition annealing temperatures are as. A high temperature (>600 °C) post-deposition annealing step is always required to promote the formation of optically active Yb3+ ions and to enhance the PL efficiency. This post-deposition annealing step is not amenable with current Si BEOL fabrication technology. The change in the optical properties of the host a-C upon incorporation of fluorinated Yb metal-organic compound is discussed
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