ERBIUM AND TERBIUM PHOTOLUMINESCENCE IN SILICA SOL-GEL FILMS ON POROUS ALUMINA

Porous alumina covered with spin-on erbium-doped silica sol-gel film, subjected to thermal processing above 973 K, exhibited strong Er-relat ed photoluminescence at 1.53 mu m at room temperature. The intensity o f the photoluminescence increases with the thickness of both the porou s alumina and the spin-on film, the latter being built up layer-by-lay er to avoid cracking. SIMS analysis shows that the Er penetrates throu ghout the porous alumina. The sol-gel method is a flexible technique, compatible with planar silicon-based technology, for fabricating lanth anide-containing luminescent structures in porous materials on silicon . (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.