Sensitization of Er3+ ions in silicon rich oxynitride films: effect of thermal treatments.

The optical properties of reactive co-sputtered erbium doped silicon rich oxynitride (Er:SRON) films are studied as a function of annealing temperatures (Ta). The sensitization mechanism of Er3+ is found to evolve with Ta: excess Si related localized states play the essential role in samples when Ta is below 700 °C, while silicon nanoclusters (Si-NCs) become the dominate sensitizers when Ta exceeds 800 °C. Our results show that higher density of sensitized Er3+ could be acquired via energy transfer from localized states, and thus provide an alternative way for the engineering of light sources based on Er:SRON.