Study on crystalline properties of Er–Si–O compounds in relation to Er-related 1.54 μm photoluminescence and electrical properties

Er–Si–O crystalline compounds, which exhibit superlattice structures and sharp and strong Er-related 1.54 μm photoluminescence (PL) spectra at room temperature have been formed by self-assembling growth mechanism. Oxidation of the starting materials which have Si and Er at an atomic ratio of 2:1 are prepared and then oxidation and succeeding high-temperature annealing in Ar above 1250 °C cause a self-assembled superlattice-structured Er–Si–O crystalline compounds. The control of the ratio of Si and Er, as well as the following oxidation and annealing processes, is found to be sensitive to the crystalline properties, PL spectra and electrical properties. In this study, Er–Si–O crystalline thin films are formed on Si substrates by sol–gel and MOMBE methods, and their crystalline properties such as crystalline orientation and concentration ratio of Er, Si and O are investigated. Crystalline Er–Si–O films of high orientation are successfully grown on Si(1 0 0) and its inclined surface. The PL and excitation spectra, fluorescence decay and the electrical properties are found to be strongly related to the crystalline properties. Excess O causes a broader 1.54 μm PL spectra, slower fluorescence decay, lower carrier-mediated excitation and higher resistivity. A precise control of O is found to be necessary to grow superlattice-structured Er–Si–O compounds, which are semiconducting and are excitable via carrier-mediated excitation mechanism.