On the interplay between Si-Er-O segregation and erbium silicate (Er 2 Si 2 O 7 ) formation in Er-doped SiO x thin films

Georges Beainy (1) , C. Frilay (2) , Philippe Pareige (1) , F. Gourbilleau (2) , Etienne Talbot (1)

1 GPM - Groupe de physique des matériaux
2 CIMAP - UMR 6252 - Centre de recherche sur les Ions, les MAtériaux et la Photonique

Er-doped silica or rich-silicon oxide has been widely studied as 1.54 mm emitters. The incorporation of Si-nanoclusters is known for improving luminescence yield of Er 3þ ions through an efficient sensitization of the neighboring rare earth ions. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of Silicon excess and Erbium concentration on the formation of silicon nanoclusters and Er-rich phase responsible of the quenching of 1.54 mm emission. Atom probe tomography and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to explore the nanostructure and optical activity of Er-doped silicon rich silica. We present a direct evidence that both silicon excess and Er concentration influence the growth of Si nanoclusters, the formation of Er-Si-O phase and the luminescence of both Si nanoclusters and Er 3þ ions. We explain these finding in relation with the growth mechanism of nanoparticles and the presence of a Snowman-like Janus morphology between silicon and Erbium silicates nanoparticles. In this contribution, we deciphered the nanoscale structure spatial correlations between Er and Si atoms in Er doped SiO X which remained unclear for a long time.

Mots clés: Rare earth alloys and compounds; Oxide materials; Nanostructured materials; Atomic scale structure; Atom probe tomography; Semiconductors; Luminescence; Optical properties

Domaines: Matériaux; Science des matériaux [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]; Physique Numérique [physics.comp-ph]; Optique [physics.optics]; Electromagnétisme; Matériaux; Micro et nanotechnologies/Microélectronique; Optique / photonique

Georges Beainy, C. Frilay, Philippe Pareige, F. Gourbilleau, Etienne Talbot. On the interplay between Si-Er-O segregation and erbium silicate (Er 2 Si 2 O 7 ) formation in Er-doped SiO x thin films. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2018, 755, pp.55 - 60. ⟨10.1016/j.jallcom.2018.04.310⟩. ⟨hal-01785730⟩