Single-crystal erbium chloride silicate nanowires as a Si-compatible light emission material in communication wavelength

We report on the first synthesis and structural characterizations of a new Erbium (Er) compound, the erbium chloride silicate (ECS, Er3Cl(SiO4)2) single crystal in a Si-ECS core-shell nanowire form. The Erconcentration in ECS at 1.6x10 22 cm −3 is three orders of magnitude higher than that of the Er-doped materials. Photoluminescence spectra at both low and room temperatures exhibit well separated sharp emission lines in the near infrared region. The new single-crystal erbium-compound nanowires provide a unique Si-compatible material for high-gain light emission in communication wavelength and for many other photonic applications. ©2011 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: (160.4236) Nanomaterials; (160.5690) Rare-earth-doped materials. References and links 1. A. Polman, G. N. van den Hoven, J. S. Custer, J. H. Shin, R. Serna, and P. F. A. Alkemade, “Erbium in crystal silicon: optical activation, excitation and concentration limits,” J. Appl. Phys. 77(3), 1256–1262 (1995). 2. S. 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