Towards population inversion of electrically pumped Er ions sensitized by Si nanoclusters

Towards population inversion of electrically pumped Er ions sensitized by Si nanoclusters.

This study reports the estimation of the inverted Er fraction in a system of Er doped silicon oxide sensitized by Si nanoclusters, made by magnetron sputtering. Electroluminescence was obtained from the sensitized erbium, with a power efficiency of 10(-2)%. By estimating the density of Er ions that are in the first excited state, we find that up to 20% of the total Er concentration is inverted ...

Electrically pumped hybrid evanescent Si/InGaAsP lasers.

Hybrid Si/III-V, Fabry-Perot evanescent lasers are demonstrated, utilizing InGaAsP as the III-V gain material for the first time to our knowledge. The lasing threshold current of 300-mum-long devices was as low as 24 mA, with a maximal single facet output power of 4.2 mW at 15 degrees C. Longer devices achieved a maximal single facet output power as high as 12.7 mW, a single facet slope efficie...

Photon cutting for excitation of Er 3+ ions in SiO 2 sensitized by Si quantum dots

Structural factors impacting carrier transport and electroluminescence from Si nanocluster-sensitized Er ions.

We present an analysis of factors influencing carrier transport and electroluminescence (EL) at 1.5 µm from erbium-doped silicon-rich silica (SiOx) layers. The effects of both the active layer thickness and the Si-excess content on the electrical excitation of erbium are studied. We demonstrate that when the thickness is decreased from a few hundred to tens of nanometers the conductivity is gre...

Towards an Er-doped Si Nanocrystal Sensitized Waveguide Laser – the Thin Line between Gain and Loss

Important progress is being made in the development of a Si based waveguide laser operating at 1.5 μm. The gain medium responsible for the recent progress is Er-doped Si nanocrystal co-doped SiO2, a composite material that can potentially be fabricated using a VLSI compatible process. The material combines the broad absorption spectrum of Si nanocrystals with the efficient narrow linewidth emis...