Effect of annealing and Nd concentration on the photoluminescence of Nd{sup 3+} ions coupled with silicon nanoparticles

Journal Article · Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3510521· OSTI ID:21537950

Debieu, O; Breard, D; Labbe, C; Cardin, J; Gourbilleau, F ^[1]; Podhorodecki, A; Zatryb, G; Misiewicz, J ^[2]

---

1. CIMAP, UMR CNRS/CEA/ENSICAEN/UCBN, Ensicaen 6 Bd Marechal Juin, 14050 Caen Cedex 4 (France)
2. Institute of Physics, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw (Poland)

We report on the microstructure and photoluminescence (PL) properties of Nd-doped SiO{sub 2} thin films containing silicon nanoparticles (Si-np) as a function of the annealing temperature and the Nd concentration. The thin films, which were grown on Si substrates by reactive magnetron co-sputtering, contain the same Si excess. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra show that a phase separation occurs during the annealing due to the agglomeration of the Si excess resulting in the formation of Si-np. Besides, after annealing, the films exhibit PL from excitonic states confined in Si-np. We showed that the intensity of the PL of Nd{sup 3+} ions that occurs at {approx}0.92, 1.06, and 1.4 {mu}m is maximal at low Nd concentration and while well-passivated Si-np are formed. FTIR and x-ray measurements showed that the increase in the Nd incorporation has detrimental effects on the PL of Nd{sup 3+} because of the formation of Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanocrystals and inherent disorder in the SiO{sub 2} host matrix. PL excitation measurements demonstrate that the PL of Nd{sup 3+} ions is nonresonant and follows the excitation of Si-np giving new evidence of the energy transfer from Si-np toward the rare earth ions.

• OSTI ID: 21537950
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 108, Issue 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3510521; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
AGGLOMERATION
ANNEALING
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DOPED MATERIALS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EXCITATION
FOURIER TRANSFORM SPECTROMETERS
INFRARED SPECTRA
MAGNETRONS
MICROSTRUCTURE
NANOSTRUCTURES
NEODYMIUM ADDITIONS
NEODYMIUM IONS
NEODYMIUM OXIDES
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
SILICON OXIDES
SPUTTERING
SUBSTRATES
THIN FILMS
X-RAY SPECTRA
ALLOYS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGED PARTICLES
ELECTRON TUBES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EMISSION
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EQUIPMENT
FILMS
HEAT TREATMENTS
IONS
LUMINESCENCE
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT
MICROWAVE TUBES
NEODYMIUM ALLOYS
NEODYMIUM COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOTON EMISSION
RARE EARTH ADDITIONS
RARE EARTH ALLOYS
RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SPECTRA
SPECTROMETERS