Novel deposition technique of Er-doped a-Si : H combining catalytic chemical vapor deposition and pulsed laser-ablation

Er-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films were prepared by a n ovel deposition technique combining catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CV D) and pulsed laser-ablation. Er content was controlled, ranging from 8 x 1 0(19) to 7 x 10(20) cm(-3), by increasing the gas pressure during depositio n from 6.7 to 106 Pa. Photoluminescence (PL) properties were measured at va rious temperatures. PL originating from Er 4f-intra transition was observed even at room temperature. Activation energy for the quenching the PL inten sity is smaller than that for Er-doped single crystal Si. Based on these re sults we suggest that Er-doped a-Si:H films prepared by our method are prom ising materials for optical-communication devices. (C) 2000 Elsevier Scienc e B.V. All rights reserved.