Nano Express
On the origin of emission and thermal quenching of SRSO:Er3+ films grown by ECR-PECVD
1 Institute of Physics, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, Wroclaw 50-370, Poland
2 Department of Engineering Physics and Centre for Emerging Device Technologies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L7, Canada
Nanoscale Research Letters 2013, 8:98 doi:10.1186/1556-276X-8-98
Published: 22 February 2013Abstract
Silicon nanocrystals embedded in a silicon-rich silicon oxide matrix doped with Er3+ ions have been fabricated by electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Indirect excitation of erbium photoluminescence via silicon nanocrystals has been investigated. Temperature quenching of the photoluminescence originating from the silicon nanocrystals and the erbium ions has been observed. Activation energies of the thermally activated quenching process were estimated for different excitation wavelengths. The temperature quenching mechanism of the emission is discussed. Also, the origin of visible emission and kinetic properties of Er-related emission have been discussed in details.
