Excitation mechanism of Er in Si studied with a free-electron laser

We investigate the influence of infrared illumination using a free-electron laser on the photoluminescence of erbium-implanted silicon material. In addition to the earlier reported quenching of the Er-related photoluminescence due to dissociation of the intermediate excitation stage, two more features of the energy transfer mechanism are revealed. In the wavelength dependence of the quenching effect a local extreme is detected for a beam energy of approximately 100 meV. A possible origin of this effect is discussed. Further, the current experiment revealed the presence of non-radiative recombination centers which could transfer their energy to Er ions under the influence of the infrared beam. The centers were found to be characterized by extremely slow generation and decay kinetics. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.