Optical activity and damage recovery of erbium implanted strontium titanate

Single crystalline SrTiO 3 samples were implanted with Er ions of 150 v keV at room temperature with fluences of 5 ‐ 10 14 and 5 ‐ 10 15 . Annealing treatments were carried out both in reducing and oxidising atmospheres to recover the implantation damage. Infrared 1.54 v m Er 3+ luminescence between the two lowest spin-orbit levels 4 I 13/2 M 4 I 15/2 as well as emission from higher excited states 4 S 3/2 M 4 I 15/2 , 4 F 9/2 M 4 I 15/2 and 4 S 3/2 M 4 I 13/2 were observed in the implanted samples with highest fluence, annealed either in air or in vacuum. Multiple site location of Er 3+ ion is discussed and compared with RBS/C and emission channelling results that indicate that Er goes to Sr and Ti sites.