Temperature-induced increase in erbium electroluminescence of epitaxially grown Si:Er diodes

• Published in: Materials science & engineering. B, Solid-state materials for advanced technology Vol. 146; no. 1; pp. 256 - 259
• Main Authors: Shmagin, V.B., Lyutov, A.V., Remizov, D.Yu, Kudryavtsev, K.E., Stepikhova, M.V., Krasilnik, Z.F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.01.2008
• Subjects: Erbium-doped silicon; Light emitting diodes; p–n junction breakdown; Light emitting diodes; Erbium-doped silicon; p–n junction breakdown
• ISSN: 0921-5107; 1873-4944
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mseb.2007.07.076

Electroluminescence (EL) at 1.54 μm of reverse biased Si:Er diodes grown by sublimation molecular-beam epitaxy has been investigated as a function of temperature in the range of 80–300 K. An erbium electroluminescence trend versus temperature is shown to be determined by the p–n junction breakdown mechanism: we observe the EL quenching in light emitting diodes (LEDs) exhibiting a tunnel p–n junction breakdown and EL increase with temperature in diodes exhibiting an avalanche one. LEDs exhibiting a mixed p–n junction breakdown show rather weak dependence of erbium EL on temperature. We connect the temperature-induced increase in erbium EL observed in the avalanche LEDs with increase in EL pumping efficiency due to improved p–n junction breakdown homogeneity at higher temperatures.