On relation between the 1.5 μm Er-related emission and 9 μm vibrational modes of oxygen in silicon

We demonstrate that excitation of Er3+ ions embedded in crystalline silicon is effectively quenched when vibrational modes of interstitial oxygen are activated. In a two-color pump–probe experiment with a free-electron laser, we show that the 1.5 μm Er-related photoluminescence diminishes as the probing beam scans through the relevant 9 μm absorption band. Making use of time resolution of the experimental set-up, we investigate temporal aspects of this effect

Photonic properties of Er-doped crystalline silicon

During the last four decades, a remarkable research effort has been made to understand the physical properties of Si:Er material, as it is considered to be a promising approach towards improving the optical properties of crystalline Si. In this paper, we present a summary of the most important results of that research. In the second part, we give a more detailed description of the properties of Si/Si:Er multinanolayer structures, which in many aspects represent the most advanced form of Er-doped crystalline Si with prospects for applications in Si photonics