Room-temperature 1.54 mu m er(3+) photoluminescence from Er-doped silicon-rich silicon oxide film grown by magnetron sputtering

Room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) has been observed from Er-doped silicon-rich silicon oxide films grown by magnetron sputtering. For all kinds of silicon-rich silicon oxide films grown with different excess-Si contents, each PL spectrum has two peaks at 1.54 and 1.38 mum, which originate from Er3+ and a certain kind of defects, respectively, in the silicon-rich silicon oxide. It was found that 1.54 and 1.38 mum PL peak intensities are correlated with each other. The PL intensity-dependence on the excess - Si content and annealing temperature was studied in detail.