Er-Doped Silicon Luminescent Material Deep-Cooling Annealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Er-doped or Er/O-doped silicon materials exhibit low luminescent efficiency and non-radiative transition quenching at room temperature, limiting their industrial applications in silicon-based photonic integration technology.
Innovation Solution
The method involves doping a single crystalline silicon wafer with erbium ions and optionally oxygen ions, followed by deep-cooling annealing treatment, including high-temperature heating and ultra-rapid cooling, to enhance luminescent efficiency at room temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If Er-doped or Er/O-doped silicon materials are used for room-temperature luminescence, then emission wavelength in communication band is achieved, but luminescent efficiency is extremely low due to non-radiative transition quenching
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the annealing process parameters - using ultra-rapid cooling rates (10^3-10^6 K/s) after high-temperature annealing to freeze in beneficial atomic configurations. This parameter change in the processing method transforms the material's luminescent properties, enabling high-efficiency room-temperature emission by suppressing non-radiative transitions through rapid structural stabilization
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions during the ultra-rapid cooling process, where the material undergoes rapid thermal contraction and structural reorganization. This phase transition from high-temperature annealed state to rapidly cooled state creates a frozen-in configuration that suppresses non-radiative recombination pathways, thereby achieving high luminescent efficiency at room temperature
2Reliability
If conventional annealing treatment is applied to Er-doped silicon, then material activation is achieved, but non-radiative transition quenching occurs at room temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing high-temperature annealing first to activate the erbium dopants and create beneficial defect structures, then immediately following with ultra-rapid cooling to freeze these activated configurations. This two-stage preliminary action sequence ensures both material activation and suppression of subsequent non-radiative transitions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the skipping principle by rapidly transitioning through the temperature range where non-radiative transitions would normally occur. The ultra-rapid cooling rate (10^3-10^6 K/s) rushes through the problematic temperature zone, preventing the formation of non-radiative recombination centers while maintaining the activated state achieved during heating
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach achieves high-efficiency room-temperature photoluminescence near 1.53 μm, enabling the successful preparation of silicon emitters and lasers compatible with CMOS processes, with significant industrial application value.
Implementation Method 1
doping a single crystalline silicon wafer with erbium ion implantation
Implementation Method 2
co-doping a single crystalline silicon wafer with erbium ion and oxygen ion implantation simultaneously
Implementation Method 3
The Er- or Er/O-doped silicon wafer is electromagnetically heated by an energized copper ring
Implementation Method 4
the cooling treatment is exerted by flushing with a low-temperature high purity He gas
Data Source
AI summary
A method for preparing an erbium (Er)- or erbium oxygen (Er/O)-doped silicon-based luminescent material emitting a communication band at room temperature. The method comprising the following steps: (a) doping a single crystalline silicon wafer with erbium ion implantation or co-doping the single crystalline silicon wafer with erbium ion and oxygen ion implantation simultaneously to obtain an Er- or Er/O-doped silicon wafer, wherein the single crystalline silicon wafer is a silicon wafer with a germanium epitaxial layer, or an SOI silicon wafer with silicon on an insulating layer or other silicon-based wafers; and (b) subjecting the Er- or Er/O-doped silicon wafer to a deep-cooling annealing treatment, the deep-cooling annealing treatment includes a temperature increasing process and a rapid cooling process.