Photoluminescence of Er-implanted silica, polysiloxane and porous silicon films

The photoluminescence of erbium is studied in Er-implanted films of the SR350 polysiloxane, porous silicon and silica. A strong emission at 1.53 μm is observed already at room temperature, increasing more quickly with the annealing temperature in porous silicon and SR350 than in silica. Little thermal quenching is measured between 6 and 300 K. According to the peak shapes, intensities and quenching factors, the active sites are the same in the three types of films. Changes in their concentration with the annealing temperature seems to indicate that Er migrates from Si clusters in porous silicon and from the C ones in SR350 (formed during the conversion of the polymer in a composite ceramics by the irradiation) into the surrounding oxide.