Electroluminescent Yb2O3:Er and Yb2Si2O7:Er nanolaminate films fabricated by atomic layer deposition on silicon

Atomic layer doped Yb2O3:Er and Yb2Si2O7:Er nanolaminate films are fabricated on silicon by atomic layer deposition, and similar to 1530 nm electroluminescence (EL) is obtained from the metal-oxide-semiconductor light emitting devices (MOSLEDs) based on these films. The Yb2O3 films transfer to Yb2Si2O7 phase after annealing above 1000 degrees C. Intense photoluminescence from Yb2Si2O7 film confirms high efficiency and energy transfer under optical excitation, but the limited electron conduction restricts the EL performance. EL from the Yb2O3:Er MOSLED outperforms, presenting an external quantum efficiency up to 8.5% and the power efficiency of 1 x 10(-3). The EL is derived to result from the impact excitation of Er3+ ions by hot electrons, which stem from Fowler-Nordheim tunneling mechanism under sufficient bias voltage. The critical distance for the cross relaxation of doped Er3+ ions in nanolaminate Yb2O3 matrix is experimentally determined to be similar to 3nm. Such devices manifest the technological potential of Er-doped Yb-oxides for applications in silicon-based optoelectronics.