Nano Express
The modulation on luminescence of Er3+-doped silicon-rich oxide films by the structure evolution of silicon nanoclusters
State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, People’s Republic of China
Nanoscale Research Letters 2013, 8:34 doi:10.1186/1556-276X-8-34
Published: 18 January 2013Abstract
A series of silicon-rich oxide (SRO) and erbium-doped SRO (SROEr) films imbedded with structural tunable silicon nanoclusters (Si NCs) have been fabricated using sputtering followed by post-annealing. The coalescence of Si NCs is found in the films with large Si excess. The energy transfer rate between Si NCs and Er3+ is enhanced, but the luminescence efficiencies of both Si NCs and Er3+ are reduced by the coalescent microstructures. Optimization of the microstructures of Si NCs is performed, and the preferential optical performance for both Si NCs and Er3+ could be achieved when Si NCs were separated in microstructures.
