Blue Photoluminescence from Si-Doped Amorphous Silica Films by RF Sputtering

Si-doped amorphous silica films were prepared by rf magnetron sputtering. Blue photoluminescence (PL), with a peak wavelength of about 450 nm, was observed from films with relatively low Si content after thermal annealing. PL intensity showed the dependence on annealing temperature. The peak wavelength of this PL was very similar to that of oxygen-deficient silica glass. However, PL excitation spectra and the temperature dependence of blue PL intensity showed that the origin of this blue PL was different from that of blue PL for oxygen-deficient silica glass.