ELECTROCHEMICAL ER DOPING OF POROUS SILICON AND ITS ROOM-TEMPERATURE LUMINESCENCE AT SIMILAR-TO-1.54 MU-M

We present a new electro-chemical method for incorporating high concentration Er ions deep into porous silicon layers and its intense photoluminescence at approximately 1.54 mum at room temperature. Porous silicon layers prepared by anodic etching of p-type silicon substrates in HF/H2O are immersed in ErCl3/ethanol solution. Then the negative bias relative to a counter platinum electrode is applied to the samples. Er3+ ions are drawn into fine pores of the porous silicon layers by the electric field. After thermal annealing at approximately 1300-degrees-C in an O2/Ar atmosphere, the samples show sharp and intense Er3+-related photoluminescence at approximately 1.54 mum at room temperature upon excitation with an Ar ion laser.