| In this study, native oxides of Al-bearing III-V compound semiconductors are explored as a host material for erbium ions with potential for integration in the AlGaAs alloy system.; Using room temperature photoluminescence and lifetime measurements, the AlGaAs native oxide has been shown to be a much better host for Er 3+ than the unoxidized semiconductors themselves. Furthermore, various luminescence quench ing mechanisms, including arsenic quenching, hydroxyl (OH) group quenching and concentration quenching, are investigated in order to optimize the process. Ampoule annealing with arsenic overpressure has been used to show the effect of arsenic quenching. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) transform spectra of oxide films thermally oxidized in water (H2O) vapor reveal the existence of OH groups, which act as luminescence quenching centers. However, such OH groups may not be intrinsic to the wet oxidation process, but appear instead to come primarily from the adsorption of moisture from the atmosphere due to the porous nature of the native oxide and strong affinity of OH radical to the oxide. This is supported by the fact that FTIR spectra of oxide films oxidized in deuterated water (D2O) show the presence of OH groups instead of OD groups. In order to fabricate an Er-doped planar waveguide amplifier, a high Er concentration is essential. However, the photoluminescence intensity of Er3+ does not increase linearly as the Er concentration increases because the shorter distance among Er 3+ ions introduces strong ion-ion interactions which reduce the excited Er3+ ion population through non-radiative transitions.; High-temperature annealing has been employed as an effective post-processing step to activate Er3+ ions and remove OH groups. The annealing process parameters (temperature, time and gas ambient) have been optimized. The optimal annealing temperature, however, is reduced by arsenic quenching mechanism particular to AlGaAs oxide/semiconductor system. The oxidation process has also been optimized through the addition of a small amount of O2 to the process gas, which results in a more O-rich local environment around the Er3+ ions, effectively coordinating more optically-active Er3+ and preventing Er cluster formation. |
