Enhancement of Er 3+ Emission from an Er−Si Codoped Al 2 O 3 Film by Stacking Si−Doped Al 2 O 3 Sublayers

A multilayer film (multi-film), consisting of alternate Er-Si-codoped Al2O3 (ESA) and Si-doped Al2O3 (SA) sublayers, is synthesized by co-sputtering from separated Er, Si, and Al2O3 targets. The dependence of Er3+ related photoluminescence (PL) properties on annealing temperatures over 700?1100?C is studied. The maximum intensity of Er3+ photoluminance (PL), about 10 times higher than that of the monolayer film, is obtained from the multi-film annealed at 950?C. The enhancement of Er3+ PL intensity is attributed to the energy transfer from the silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) to the neighboring Er3+ ions. The effective characteristic interaction distance (or the critical ET length) between Er and carriers (Si-NCs) is ~3 nm. The PL intensity exhibits a nonmonotonic temperature dependence. Meanwhile, the PL integrated intensity at room temperature is about 30% higher than that at 14 K.

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