Abstract
One of the greatest challenges in silicon photonics has been to induce light emission in silicon, with the ultimate vision is to have fully silicon-based photonics emitters or lasers which can operate by both optical and electrical pumping. Comprehensive photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) studies are conducted on dislocation engineering light emitting diode structures based on silicon implanted (Si:B) with Ce, Eu, and Yb rare-earth (RE) ions. The PL and EL results show very bright luminescence intensity and dramatic red shifting in luminescence peaks which shows a possible novel phenomenon of RE energy transition modification. The modification is attributed to the direct transition from Si conduction band edge to RE manifolds〖 (_^2)F〗_(7/2)^ , 〖(_^2)F〗_(5/2)^ for 〖Ce〗^(3+), 〖(_^7)F〗_j^ (j=0 to 4) for 〖Eu〗^(3+), 〖(_^2)F〗_(5/2)^ and 〖(_^2)F〗_(7/2)^ for 〖Yb〗^(3+). The emissions are shifted from the conventional lowest internal energy transition in 〖Ce〗^(3+) from around blue spectrum at ~350 nm (due to (_^2)D_(3/2)^ excited state to the 〖(_^2)F〗_(7/2)^ , 〖(_^2)F〗_(5/2)^ transitions) to ~1.35 µm in Si:B&Ce. For 〖Eu〗^(3+) the emission is shifted from around the red spectrum at ~600 nm (due to (_^5)D_0^ excited state to the 〖(_^7)F〗_j^ transitions, j=0 to 4) to ~ 1.40 µm in Si:B&Eu and for 〖Yb〗^(3+) is shifted from slightly beyond the visible region at ~980 nm (due to 〖(_^2)F〗_(5/2)^ excited state to the 〖(_^2)F〗_(7/2)^ transition) to ~ 1.43 µm in Si:B&Yb samples. The new shifting of luminescence peak into NIR region is very important for optical communication in making LEDs and lasers.