Correlation between visible and infrared (1.54 μm) luminescence from Er-implanted porous silicon

A photoluminescence excitation (PLE) study was performed of Er-implanted porous Si with two different porosities. Erbium was implanted at a dose of 1×1015 cm−2 at 380 keV and the samples were annealed for 30 min at temperatures from 650 to 850 °C. We observed that PLE spectra from Er3+ at 1.54 μm are nearly identical to those from the visible-emitting porous Si layers. Our results provide the first direct experimental evidence that infrared photoluminescence at 1.54 μm arises from Er3+ ions in porous Si and that ions are excited through the recombination of excess carriers spatially confined in Si nanograms.