Optically active layers of silicon doped with erbium during sublimation molecular-beam epitaxy

A study is made of the electrical, optical, and structural properties of Si :Er layers produced by sublimation molecular-beam epitaxy. The Er and O con tents in the layers, grown at 400-600 degrees C, were as high as 5x10(18) a nd 4x10(19) cm(-3), respectively. The electron concentration at 300 K was s imilar to 10% of the total erbium concentration and the electron mobility w as as high as 550 cm(2)/(V.s). Intense photoluminescence at 1.537 mu m was observed from all the structures up to 100- 140 K. The structure of the opt ically active centers associated with Er depended on the conditions under w hich the layers were grown. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1063- 7826(99)00202-1].