Influence of the ion synthesis and ion doping regimes on the effect of sensitization of erbium emission by silicon nanoclusters in silicon dioxide films

The photoluminescence spectra of erbium centers in SiO₂ films with ion-synthesized silicon nanoclusters under nonresonant excitation were investigated. Erbium was introduced into thermal SiO₂ films by ion implantation. The dependences of photoluminescence intensity on the dose, the order of ion implantation of Si and Er, the annealing temperature, and additional Ar⁺ and P⁺ ion irradiation regimes, i.e., factors determining the influence of radiation damage and doping on sensitization of erbium luminescence by silicon nanoclusters, were determined. It was found that the sensitization effect and its amplification due to doping with phosphorus are most pronounced under the conditions where nanoclusters are amorphous. The quenching of photoluminescence due to radiation damage in this case manifests itself to a lesser extent than for crystalline nanoclusters. The role of various factors in the observed regularities was discussed in the framework of the existing concepts of the mechanisms of light emission and energy exchange in the system of silicon nanoclusters and erbium centers.     

Photoluminescence of focused ion beam implanted Er3+:Y2SiO5 crystals

Erbium‐doped low symmetry Y₂SiO₅ crystals attract a lot of attention in perspective of quantum information applications. However, only doping of the samples during growth is available up to now, which yields a quite homogeneous doping density. In the present work, we deposit Er³⁺‐ions by the focused ion beam technique at yttrium sites with several fluences in one sample. With a photoluminescence study of these locally doped Er³⁺:Y₂SiO₅ crystals, we are able to evaluate the efficiency of the implantation process and develop it for the highest efficiency possible. We observe the dependence of ion activation after the post‐implantation annealing on the fluence value. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effect of As doping on the photoluminescence of nanocrystalline Ge embedded in SiO2 matrix

Samples of nanocrystalline ⁷⁴Ge embedded in amorphous SiO₂ film were prepared by ⁷⁴Ge ion implantation and subsequent primary thermal annealing. These samples were irradiated by neutron flux in a nuclear reactor then the second annealing followed. Irradiation with thermal neutrons leads to doping of nanocrystalline ⁷⁴Ge with As impurities due to nuclear transmutation of isotope ⁷⁴Ge into ⁷⁵As. Transmission electron microscope, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, laser Raman scattering and photoluminescence of the obtained samples were measured. It was observed that with the increase in As-donors concentration, photoluminescence intensity first increased but then significantly decreased. An explanatory model of this non-monotonic behavior was discussed.     

The influence of the annealing conditions on the photoluminescence of ion-implanted SiO2:Si nanosystem at additional phosphorus implantation

The influence of P ion doping on the photoluminescence (PL) of the system of nanocrystals in SiO₂ matrix (SiO₂:Si) both without annealing and after annealing at various temperatures (provided before and after additional P implantation) is investigated. The Si and P implantation was carried out with ion energies of 150 keV and doses Φ_Si=10¹⁷ cm⁻² and Φ_P=(0.1–300)×10¹⁴ cm⁻² (current density j3 μAcm⁻²). The system after Si implantation was formed at 1000°C and 1100°C (2 h). For the case of SiO₂:Si system as-implanted by P, the intensity of PL was drastically quenched, but partially retained. As for the step-by-step annealing (at progressively increased temperatures) carried out after P implantation, the sign and degree of doping effect change with annealing temperature. The possible mechanisms of these features are discussed.     

The influence of P<Superscript>+</Superscript>, B<Superscript>+</Superscript>, and N<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion implantation on the luminescence properties of the SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>: nc-Si system

The possible mechanisms of the influence of implanted impurities of Group III and V elements on the luminescence properties of a system consisting of silicon nanocrystals in SiO₂ are considered and generalized. The effect of boron and nitrogen ion implantation on the photoluminescence intensity is investigated experimentally. The experimental results and previously reported data on the ion-implantation doping with phosphorus are discussed in terms of the mechanisms under consideration. The state of implanted phosphorus is determined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is shown that the enhancement and degradation of the photoluminescence depend on the type of implanted impurities and the conditions of postimplantation heat treatment.     

Syntheses of optically efficient (La1−x−yCexTby)F3 nanocrystals via a hydrothermal method

Optically efficient cerium and terbium doped lanthanide fluoride (La_1−x−yCe_xTb_y)F₃ nanocrystals with different doping concentrations have been synthesized by a hydrothermal route in the presence of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA). The results showed that the formation of nanocrystals with different morphologies depends on terbium ion Tb³⁺ doping concentration, but independent of cerium ion Ce³⁺ doping concentration. With increase in Tb³⁺ doping concentration, the morphologies of nanocrystals evolved from a spherical shape to a plated-like one. In addition, both the photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) and the fluorescence lifetime of nanocrystals increased with the increase in Ce³⁺ doping concentration in cerium and terbium co-doped system. The PL QY reached up to 55%, and the lifetime up to 7.3 ms. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption, photoluminescence (PL) and infrared (IR) spectroscopies were employed to characterize the properties of nanocrystals. The growth mechanism of nanocrystals with different morphologies and optical properties of nanocrystals with different doping concentrations were investigated.     

Fabrication of nitrogen-doped TiO2 layer on titanium substrate

In this paper, macropores TiO₂ layer was fabricated on titanium substrates based on plasma based ion implantation (PBII). In order to increase the photodegradation efficiency of fabricated TiO₂ layer, two approaches are used: (1) preparation of macropores on TiO₂ layer to increase the total photodegradation area and (2) nitrogen doping (N-doping) to increase light absorption efficiency. The fabrication process of the N-doped macropores TiO₂ layer comprises four steps: firstly, helium plasma based ion implantation (He-PBII) is employed to generate He bubbles in substrate; secondly, oxygen plasma based ion implantation (O-PBII) and a followed annealing in air are executed to obtain rutile and anatase mixture TiO₂ phases; thirdly, He bubbles are exposed to the surface via an Ar ion sputter process; lastly, the samples are doped by nitrogen PBII (N-PBII). The photodegradation of Rhodamine B solution under Xe lamp indicates that the TiO₂ layer with surface macropores and N-doping has higher light photocatalysis efficiency.     

Defect study in ZnO related structures—A multi-spectroscopic approach

ZnO has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years because of its potential applications for fabricating optoelectronic devices. Using a multi-spectroscopic approach including positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), we have studied the two observed phenomena from ZnO related structures. They namely included the H₂O₂ pre-treatment induced ohmic to rectifying contact conversion on Au/n-ZnO contact and the p-type doping by nitrogen ion implantation. The aim of the studies was to offering comprehensive views as to how the defects influenced the structures electrical and optical properties of the structures. It was also shown that PAS measurement using the monoenergetic positron beam could offer valuable information of vacancy type defects in the vertical ZnO nanorod array structure.     

Structural and optical properties of germanium-doped zinc oxide nanorods as a function of annealing temperature

Zinc oxide nanorods with germanium doping were prepared by ion implantation and annealing treatment method, the microstructural and optical properties of which were studied by means of the X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, and transmission electron microscopy measurements. The pristine sample exhibited a remarkable ultraviolet emission owing to the band edge emission from the zinc oxide matrix, indicated a good crystalline quality. Three emission peaks appeared after germanium ions were doped into zinc oxide nanorods. The 513?nm photoluminescence peak was ascribed to the transition between the vacancy defect in zinc oxide matrix. Photoluminescence peaks located at 548 and 778?nm were ascribed to germanium ions luminescence center in zinc germanate grain and germanium monoxide luminescence center. The light emission tuning was obtained by germanium doping and annealing treatment, which may help the development of the practical optoelectronic devices based on zinc oxide nanomaterials.     

Ion implantation in amorphous germanium and silicon

The effects of Sb and Al implantation on the conductivity of amorphous Ge and Si film are reported. The room temperature conductivity of the vacuum deposited films is found to increase by a factor of 50 to 100 on implantation. The excess conductivity can be removed by annealing at 300°C for 6 hr. Results on a-Si films deposited in a partial pressure of H₂ also indicate that doping effect due to ion implantation is very small. The temperature dependence of conductivity of the films is found to obey a $\text{T}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>?1</mtext><mtext>4</mtext>}}$ law before and after implantation. The value of T₀ is found to be rather insensitive to both hydrogenation and implantation.     

Quantum well shape modification using vacancy generation and rapid thermal annealing

The effect of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on the shapes of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (QWs) has been investigated by monitoring exciton energies using low temperature photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopies. After RTA, large changes in exciton energies were observed only in regions of the samples in which excess surface vacancies were generated, either by capping with a thin layer of SiO₂ or by low-energy ion implantation. These changes were interpreted as resulting from modifications of the shapes of the as-grown QWs from abrupt or square to gradual (rounded) due to enhanced interdiffusion of well/barrier atoms. For single QWs there was an increase in exciton energy whose magnitude depended on the width of the well, its distance from the surface of the wafer, the annealing temperature and the total number of surface vacancies available. From studies of coupled QWs, there was clear evidence of asymmetry in the heterostructure after RTA. Although both techniques of vacancy generation yield substantial QW shape modifications, the ion implantation technique has the advantages of being highly reproducible and of being compatible with any material system.     

Structural modifications of GaN after cerium implantation

Among the family of rare earth (RE) dopants, the doping of first member Ce into GaN is the least studied system. This article reports structure properties of Ce‐doped GaN realized by technique of ion implantation. Ce ions were implanted into metal organic chemical vapor deposition grown n‐ and p‐GaN/sapphire thin films at doses 3 × 10¹⁴ and 2 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻². X‐ray diffraction scans and Raman scattering measurements exhibited expansion of lattice in the implanted portion of the samples. First order Raman scattering spectra show appearance of several disorder‐activated Raman scattering modes in addition to typical GaN features. A dose‐dependent decrease in intensity of E₂ mode was observed in Raman the spectra of the implanted samples. Ultraviolet Raman spectra of implanted samples show complete quenching of photoluminescence emission and appearance of multiple A₁(LO) phonon scattering modes up to fifth order. Moreover, a decrease in intensity and an increase in line width of LO modes as a function of wavenumber were observed for implanted samples. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controlling the electronic structure of SnO2 nanowires by Mo-doping

Mo-doped SnO2 (MTO) nanowires are synthesized by an in-situ doping chemical vapour deposition method. Raman scattering spectra indicate that the lattice symmetry of MTO nanowires lowers with the increase of Mo doping, which implies that Mo ions do enter into the lattice of SnO2 nanowire. Ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra show that the band gap of MTO nanowires decreases with the increase of Mo concentration. The photoluminescence emission of SnO2 nanowires around 580 nm at room temperature can also be controlled accurately by Mo-doping, and it is extremely sensitive to Mo ions and will disappear when the atomic ratio reaches 0.46%.     

Excess Si concentration dependence of the photoluminescence of Si nanoclusters in SiO2 fabricated by ion implantation

A method for the fabrication of luminescent Si nanoclusters in an amorphous SiO₂ matrix by ion implantation and annealing, and the detailed mechanisms for the photoluminescence are reported. We have measured the implanted ion dose, annealing time and excitation energy dependence of the photoluminescence from implanted layers. The samples were fabricated by Si ion implantation into SiO₂ and subsequent high-temperature annealing. After annealing, a photoluminescence band below 1.7 eV has been observed. The peak energy of the photoluminescence is found to be independent of annealing time and excitation energy, while the intensity of the luminescence increases as the annealing time and excitation energy increase. Moreover, we found that the peak energy of the luminescence is strongly affected by the dose of implanted Si ions especially in the high dose range. These results indicate that the photons are absorbed by Si nanoclusters, for which the band-gap energy is modified by the quantum confinement effects, and the emission is not simply due to direct electron–hole recombination inside Si nanoclusters, but is related to defects probably at the interface between Si nanoclusters and SiO₂, for which the energy state is affected by Si cluster–cluster interactions. It seems that Si nanoclusters react via a thin oxide interface and the local concentrations of Si nanoclusters play an important role in the peak energy of the photoluminescence.     

Photoluminescence and EPR of porous silicon formed on <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis><Superscript>+</Superscript> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Superscript>+</Superscript> single crystals implanted with boron and phosphorus ions

The effect of combined doping by shallow donor and acceptor impurities on boosting the quantum yield of porous-silicon photoluminescence (PL) in the visible and near IR range was studied using phosphorus and boron ion implantation. Nonuniform doping of samples and subsequent oxidizing annealing were performed before and after porous silicon was formed on silicon single crystals strongly doped by arsenic or boron up to ≈10¹⁹ cm^?3. The concentration of known P_b centers of nonradiative recombination was controlled by electron paramagnetic resonance. It is shown that there is an optimal joined content of shallow donors and acceptors that provides a maximum PL intensity in the vicinity of the red part of the visible spectrum. According to estimates, the PL quantum yield in the transitional n ⁺⁺-p ⁺ or p ⁺⁺-n ⁺ layer of porous silicon increases by two orders of magnitude as compared to that in porous silicon formed on silicon not subjected to ion irradiation.     

Hydrothermal-assisted ion exchange synthesis and photoluminescence of Li+ and Eu3+ co-doped NaLa(WO4)2 as near-UV type red phosphors

A series of Li⁺ and Eu³⁺ co-doped double tungstate NaLa(WO₄)₂ (NLW) red phosphors have been successfully synthesized by an ion exchange method under a hydrothermal condition. The effects of Li⁺ doping concentration on the crystal structure, morphology and photoluminescence properties were investigated using the XRD, TEM and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The results reveal that the samples have phase-pure scheelite structure and adopt spherical particle morphology. Furthermore, room temperature PL spectrum shows that the optical brightness is highly dependent on the concentration of doping Li⁺, which is determined by ion exchange duration and the precursor concentration of LiNO₃. As 5% Li⁺ ions was introduced into the crystal lattice, the emission intensity was enhanced by more than 10-fold as compared with the pristine one. Moreover, the co-doping of Li⁺ can substantially improve the effective excitation of the NaLa(WO₄)₂:Eu³⁺ phosphors under near-UV region.     

Effect of coalescence and of the character of the initial oxide on the photoluminescence of ion-synthesized Si nanocrystals in SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The photoluminescence intensity (PLI) related to Si nanocrystals in a SiO₂: nc-Si system synthesized by ion implantation is studied experimentally and theoretically as a function of the Si+ ion dose at various annealing temperatures T_ann (1000–1200°C). The dose corresponding to the maximum PLI is found to decrease with increasing T_ann. These data are explained in terms of a model taking into account the coalescence of neighboring nanocrystals and the dependence of the probability of radiative recombination of quantum dots on their size. It is found that, when silicon oxide is grown in a wet atmosphere, the photoluminescence spectrum contains an additional band (near 850 nm), which is related to shells around the nanocrystals. This band weakens abrupily after high-temperature annealing in an oxidizing atmosphere (air).     

Upconversion luminescence from Er-N codoped of ZnO nanowires prepared by ion implantation method

Nitrogen and erbium co-doped of ZnO nanowires (NWs) are fabricated by ion implantation and subsequent annealing in air. The incorporation of Er³⁺ and N⁺ ions is verified by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Raman spectra. The samples exhibit upconversion photoluminescence around ∼550 nm and ∼660 nm under an excitation at 980 nm. It is discovered that the N-doped can drastically increase the upconversion photoluminescence intensity by modifying the local structure around Er³⁺ in ZnO matrix. The enhancement of the PL intensity by the N-doped is caused by the formation of ErO_6−xN_x octahedron complexes. With the increase of the annealing temperature (T_a), the Er³⁺ ions diffuse towards the surface of the NWs, which benefits the red emission and evokes the variation of intensity ratio owing to the existence of some organic groups.     

钴掺杂二氧化锡纳米粉的光致发光和磁学性质

研究了钴掺杂对二氧化锡纳米粉的光致发光性质和磁学性质的影响,发现钴掺杂对发光带的位置影响很小,但紫外发光带与蓝色发光带的强度之比随掺杂含量的增加而下降.当钴掺杂含量达到0.02时,样品中的铁磁性被完全破坏.讨论了样品中的磁相互作用的机理,认为掺杂离子的不均匀分布、自旋极化子与掺杂离子之间的耦合都可能导致反铁磁性的相互作用,这种反铁磁性的作用破坏了铁磁性. 关键词： 钴掺杂二氧化锡 光致发光 磁学性质     

Effects of ion implantation on yellow luminescence in unintentional doped n-type GaN

The effects of Si, O, C and N ion implantation with different implantation doses on yellow luminescence (YL) of GaN have been investigated. The as-grown GaN samples used in the work were of unintentional doped n-type, and the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of samples had strong YL. The experimental results showed that YL of ion implanted samples exhibited marked reductions compared to samples with no implantation, while the near band edge (NBE) emissions were reduced to a lesser extent. The deep-level centers associated with YL may be produced in GaN films by O and C ion implantation, and identities of these deep-level centers were analyzed. It was also found that the dose dependence of YL was analogous with the one of the intensity ratios of YL to the near band edge (NBE) emission (I _YL /I _NBE ) for ion implanted samples. The possible reason for this comparability has been proposed.