Donor-state-enabling er-related luminescence in silicon: Direct identification and resonant excitation

We conclusively establish a direct link between formation of an Er-related donor gap state and the 1.5 mu m emission of Er in Si. The experiment is performed on Si/SiEr nanolayers where a single type of Er optical center dominates. We show that the Er emission can be resonantly induced by direct pumping into the bound exciton state of the identified donor. Using two-color spectroscopy with a free-electron laser we determine the ionization energy of the donor-state-enabling Er excitation as E-D approximate to 218 meV. We demonstrate quenching of the Er-related emission upon ionization of the donor.