Sputtering configurations and the luminescence of rare earth-doped silicon rich oxide thin films

Abstract Nd- and Er-doped silicon rich oxide (SRO) thin films were prepared by rf-sputtering. Different films were obtained by changing target configurations. Al and Al2O3 targets were used to obtain along with silicon rich silicon oxide (SRSO) films, Al-modified SRSO films and silicon rich aluminosilicate (SRAS) films. Differences in spectral shape and emission intensity, in excitation wavelength dependence and excitation photon flux dependence of rare earth ion emissions were observed. Some were related to the added Al. The dependence of the 980 nm peak intensity on the 1530 nm peak intensity of the Er ion emissions for some films was studied and some effect related to the Al co-doping was found. Incorporation of Al into rare earth (RE)-doped silicon rich oxide (SRO) films can then be modified to obtain specific RE ion emission characteristics in such thin films.