Strong room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) peaks of Er3+ (I-4(13/2)-->I-4(15/2)) ions at similar to 1.535 mu m are obtained from Er-doped thin-film Si layers prepared by laser ablation. The Si sample was found to produce optimum photoluminescence peaks at an annealing temperature of about 450 degrees C. Experimental results also shows that the thermal quenching of the luminescence intensity from 80 K to room temperature is a factor of 2.5 only. PL excitation measurements reveal that the Er luminescence is significantly excited via the silicon band edge. The lifetime of the luminescence from the Si:Er samples is 90+/-10 mu s. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)02427-4].