Decay of the 1.54μm photoluminescence from Er-implanted material was recorded over some 3 decades of intensity. Two components of the decay were observed at 7.5K. One had a decay-time constant of 40 to 160μs, and the other had a characteristic time of between 800 and 1200μs. It was found that the proportions of the fast and slow components could vary, depending upon the amount of implantation-produced damage. This variation was related to a broadening on the high-energy side of the Er-related emission. The temperature dependence of the fastest decay was not consistent with its being due to an Auger process which involved free carriers. It was suggested that extended defects in the layers were responsible for this part of the decay curve. A broadening of the Er line was attributed to an overlap of the dislocation-related line, D1, with the Er emission. Selective chemical etching, and scanning electron microscopy, showed that extended defects were present in samples having a short fast-decay component.

Effect of Dislocations on the Photoluminescence Decay of 1.54μm Emission from Erbium-Doped Silicon. K.D.Vernon-Parry, J.H.Evans-Freeman, I.D.Hawkins, P.Dawson, A.R.Peaker: Journal of Applied Physics, 2001, 89[5], 2715-9