Enhancement of Er optical efficiency through bismuth sensitization in yttrium oxide
- CNR IMM-MATIS, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania (Italy)
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania (Italy)
The process of energy transfer (ET) between optically active ions has been widely studied to improve the optical efficiency of a system for different applications, from lighting and photovoltaics to silicon microphotonics. In this work, we report the influence of Bi on the Er optical emission in erbium-yttrium oxide thin films synthesized by magnetron co-sputtering. We demonstrate that this host permits to well dissolve Er and Bi ions, avoiding their clustering, and thus to stabilize the optically active Er{sup 3+} and Bi{sup 3+} valence states. In addition, we establish the ET occurrence from Bi{sup 3+} to Er{sup 3+} by the observed Bi{sup 3+} PL emission decrease and the simultaneous Er{sup 3+} photoluminescence (PL) emission increase. This was further confirmed by the coincidence of the Er{sup 3+} and Bi{sup 3+} excitation bands, analyzed by PL excitation spectroscopy. By increasing the Bi content of two orders of magnitude inside the host, though the occurrence of Bi-Bi interactions becomes deleterious for Bi{sup 3+} optical efficiency, the ET process between Bi{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3+} is still prevalent. We estimate ET efficiency of 70% for the optimized Bi:Er ratio equal to 1:3. Moreover, we have demonstrated to enhance the Er{sup 3+} effective excitation cross section by more than three orders of magnitude with respect to the direct one, estimating a value of 5.3 × 10{sup −18} cm{sup 2}, similar to the expected Bi{sup 3+} excitation cross section. This value is one of the highest obtained for Er in Si compatible hosts. These results make this material very promising as an efficient emitter for Si-compatible photonics devices.
- OSTI ID:
- 22486378
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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