Erbium luminescence through silicon nanocluster sensitizers in Silicon Rich Oxide

A model has been developed for Erbium luminescence in Silicon Rich Oxide (SRO) through sensitization of silicon nanoclusters (si-nc). Energy transfer routes to and from Er atoms in the neighbourhood of nanoclusters are analyzed. The fraction of Er atoms in excited state has been calculated by equating all possible energy transfer mechanisms. Sensitization effect of ncs is found to be efficient at lower incident photon fluxes, whereas higher excitation fluxes were found to result in saturation effects. Significance of nc density and different coefficients of energy coupling has been analyzed. Good agreement with published experimental results has been observed.