Photoluminescence thermal quenching behaviors of Er-doped SiOx (x<2) prepared by ion implantation

Erbium and silicon were implanted into thermally grown SiO2 film on Si (1 1 0) substrates, followed by thermal treatment at 700-1200 °C for 30 min. The microstructure was studied by using transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction meter (XRD). Silicon nanocrystals (nc-Si), which enwrapped by amorphous silicon (a-Si), were observed when the implanted films annealed at T>900 °C. The thermal quenching behavior at λ=1.535μm and its relation with anneal temperature were also investigated. With anneal temperature increasing, both the portion of a-Si and the intensity quenching decreased. Efficient luminescence from Er ions and weak intensity thermal quenching were obtained from the sample annealed at 1100 °C. The role of excessive a-Si in non-radiative processes at T>150 K was discussed.