Room-Temperature Photoluminescence of Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon Carbide Doped with Erbium

For the first time strong room temperature photoluminescence of Er ions at 1.54 μm m corresponding to 4 I 13/2 - 4 I 15/2 transition in the ion f-shell was observed in erbium-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide films (a-Si 1- x C x :H ). Films of a-Si 1- x C x :H have been prepared by cosputter-ing of graphite and Er targets applying the magnetron-assisted silane-decomposition (MASD) technique with mixtures of Ar and silane. The composition of films ( x ) was varied in the range 0-0.29. The concentration of incorporated 430 Er-ions was 6.10 19 cm -3 . The weak temperature dependence of PL in amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide doped with erbium is discussed within the framework of defect-related Auger excitation (DRAE) model.