Erbium-Doped Amorphous Carbon-Based Thin Films: A Photonic Material Prepared by Low-Temperature RF-PEMOCVD

• Main Authors: Hui-Lin Hsu, Keith R. Leong, I-Ju Teng, Michael Halamicek, Jenh-Yih Juang, Sheng-Rui Jian, Li Qian, Nazir P. Kherani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2014-02-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: RF-PEMOCVD; erbium metal-organic compound; deuterated amorphous carbon (a-C:D); fluorination
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/7/3/1539

The integration of photonic materials into CMOS processing involves the use of new materials. A simple one-step metal-organic radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system (RF-PEMOCVD) was deployed to grow erbium-doped amorphous carbon thin films (a-C:(Er)) on Si substrates at low temperatures (<200 °C). A partially fluorinated metal-organic compound, tris(6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptafluoro-2,2-dimethyl-3,5- octanedionate) Erbium(+III) or abbreviated Er(fod)3, was incorporated in situ into a-C based host. Six-fold enhancement of Er room-temperature photoluminescence at 1.54 µm was demonstrated by deuteration of the a-C host. Furthermore, the effect of RF power and substrate temperature on the photoluminescence of a-C:D(Er) films was investigated and analyzed in terms of the film structure. Photoluminescence signal increases with increasing RF power, which is the result of an increase in [O]/[Er] ratio and the respective erbium-oxygen coordination number. Moreover, photoluminescence intensity decreases with increasing substrate temperature, which is attributed to an increased desorption rate or a lower sticking coefficient of the fluorinated fragments during film growth and hence [Er] decreases. In addition, it is observed that Er concentration quenching begins at ~2.2 at% and continues to increase until 5.5 at% in the studied a-C:D(Er) matrix. This technique provides the capability of doping Er in a vertically uniform profile.