Monolithic integration of erbium-doped amplifiers with silicon-on-insulator waveguides

Monolithic integration of Al2O3:Er3+ amplifier technology with passive silicon-on-insulator waveguides is demonstrated. A signal enhancement of >7 dB at 1533 nm wavelength is obtained. The straightforward wafer-scale fabrication process, which includes reactive co-sputtering and subsequent reactive ion etching, allows for parallel integration of multiple amplifier and laser sections with silicon or other photonic circuits on a chip

SiNx:Tb3+--Yb3+, an efficient down-conversion layer compatible with a silicon solar cell process

SiN x : Tb 3+-Yb 3+, an efficient down-conversion layer compatible with silicon solar cell process Abstract Tb 3+-Yb 3+ co-doped SiN x down-conversion layers compatible with silicon Photovoltaic Technology were prepared by reactive magnetron co-sputtering. Efficient sensitization of Tb 3+ ions through a SiN x host matrix and cooperative energy transfer between Tb 3+ and Yb 3+ ions were evidenced as driving mechanisms of the down-conversion process. In this paper, the film composition and microstructure are investigated alongside their optical properties, with the aim of maximizing the rare earth ions incorporation and emission efficiency. An optimized layer achieving the highest Yb 3+ emission intensity was obtained by reactive magnetron co-sputtering in a nitride rich atmosphere for 1.2 W/cm${}^2$ and 0.15 W/cm${}^2$ power density applied on the Tb and Yb targets, respectively. It was determined that depositing at 200 {\textdegree}C and annealing at 850 {\textdegree}C leads to comparable Yb 3+ emission intensity than depositing at 500 {\textdegree}C and annealing at 600 {\textdegree}C, which is promising for applications toward silicon solar cells.Comment: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Elsevier, 201

Martensite structures and twinning in substrate-constrained epitaxial Ni-Mn-Ga films deposited by a magnetron co-sputtering process

In order to obtain Ni-Mn-Ga epitaxial films crystallized in martensite structures showing Magnetic-Induced Rearrangement (MIR) of martensite variants, a fine control of the composition is required. Here we present how the co-sputtering process might be helpful in the development of Ni-Mn-Ga epitaxial films. A batch of epitaxial Ni-Mn-Ga films deposited by co-sputtering of a Ni-Mn-Ga ternary target and a pure manganese target has been studied. The co-sputtering process allows a precise control of the film compositions and enables keeping the epitaxial growth of Ni-Mn-Ga austenite during deposition at high temperature. It gives rise to tune the content of the MIR-active 14-modulated martensite in the film at room temperature, as well as micro and macro-twinned domains sizes

Optical and mechanical properties of amorphous Mg-Si-O-N thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

In this work, amorphous thin films in Mg-Si-O-N system were prepared in order to investigate the dependence of optical and mechanical properties on Mg composition. Reactive RF magnetron co-sputtering from magnesium and silicon targets were used for the deposition of Mg-Si-O-N thin films. Films were deposited on float glass, silica wafers and sapphire substrates in an Ar, N2 and O2 gas mixture. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and nanoindentation were employed to characterize the composition, surface morphology, and properties of the films