Effect of annealing and Nd concentration on the photoluminescence of Nd3+ ions coupled with silicon nanoparticles

Olivier Debieu (1) , David Bréard (1) , Artur Podhorodecki (2) , Grzegorz Zatryb (2) , Jan Misiewicz (2) , Christophe Labbe (1) , Julien Cardin (1) , Fabrice Gourbilleau (1)

1 CIMAP - UMR 6252 - Centre de recherche sur les Ions, les MAtériaux et la Photonique
2 Institute of Physics

We report on the microstructure and photoluminescence(PL) properties of Nd-doped SiO2 thin films containing silicon nanoparticles (Si-np) as a function of the annealing temperature and the Nd concentration. The thin films, which were grown on Si substrates by reactive magnetron co-sputtering, contain the same Si excess. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)spectra show that a phase separation occurs during the annealing due to the agglomeration of the Si excess resulting in the formation of Si-np. Besides, after annealing, the films exhibit PL from excitonic states confined in Si-np. We showed that the intensity of the PL of Nd3+ions that occurs at ∼0.92, 1.06, and 1.4 μm is maximal at low Nd concentration and while well-passivated Si-np are formed. FTIR and x-ray measurements showed that the increase in the Nd incorporation has detrimental effects on the PL of Nd3+ because of the formation of Nd2O3nanocrystals and inherent disorder in the SiO2 host matrix. PL excitation measurements demonstrate that the PL of Nd3+ions is nonresonant and follows the excitation of Si-np giving new evidence of the energy transfer from Si-np toward the rare earth ions.

Domaines: Matière Condensée [cond-mat]; Optique / photonique; Micro et nanotechnologies/Microélectronique; Matériaux

Olivier Debieu, David Bréard, Artur Podhorodecki, Grzegorz Zatryb, Jan Misiewicz, et al.. Effect of annealing and Nd concentration on the photoluminescence of Nd3+ ions coupled with silicon nanoparticles. Journal of Applied Physics, 2010, 108 (11), pp.113114 1-8. ⟨10.1063/1.3510521⟩. ⟨hal-01139765⟩