title: Crystal size and crystalline volume fraction effects on the Erbium emission of nc-Si:Er grown by r.f. sputtering.
abstract: Erbium-doped low-dimensional Si films with different microstructures were grown by reactive magnetron sputtering on glass substrates by varying the deposition parameters. Their structure and chemical composition were studied by micro-Raman and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, respectively. In this contribution the Erbium emission is studied as a function of nanocrystalline fraction and average crystal sizes and also as a function of the matrix chemical composition. We discuss the temperature dependence of the Er3+ emission as well as the possible explanations of the low Er active fraction.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Cerqueira
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stepikhova
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kozanecki
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andrês
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alves