Room-Temperature Electroluminescence from Er-Implanted Semi-Insulating Polycrystalline Silicon

Sharp room-temperature luminescence at 1.54 ¿m in erbium-doped semi-insulating polycrystalline silicon (SIPOS) is demonstrated. Electroluminescence due to intra-4f transitions of Er³⁺ ions was investigated in metal-SIPOS-silicon devices. The compatibility of SIPOS with VLSI technology combined with the demonstration that Er in SIPOS can be electrically excited, indicates that Er-doped SIPOS is a very interesting candidate as active material for electrically stimulated light emission in silicon-based opto-electronics.