Er-doped polycrystalline silicon for light emission at gimel=1.54 mu m

We deposited amorphous silicon films, implanted them with erbium/oxygen, an d then recrystallized them with a series of thermal treatments. Recrystalli zation is necessary to remove implantation damage and optically activate Er /O complexes for light emission at 1.54 mu m. Photoluminescence and glancin g angle x-ray diffraction were used to characterize the polycrystalline Si: Er. Following 30-minute isochronal anneals and isothermal anneals at 575 de grees C and 600 degrees C, the erbium luminescence intensity was observed t o increase in direct relation to the degree of recrystallization during the anneal. Hydrogen passivation of dangling bonds further increased the lumin escence intensity to about one half of the intensity found in a comparable single crystal material. The optically active Er is shown to be located wit hin the recrystallized grains, and it exhibits a de-excitation (backtransfe r) mechanism similar to that of single crystal Si:Er.