Low-voltage driven ～1.54μm electroluminescence from erbium-doped ZnO/p~+-Si heterostructured devices: Energy transfer from ZnO host to erbium ions

摘要

It is well known that the light emission at ～1.54 μm falls within the minimum loss window of silica optic fibers for optical communication and is of significance for the silicon-based optoelectronic integration. Herein, we report on erbium (Er)-related electroluminescence (EL) at ～1.54μm from Er-doped ZnO (ZnO:Er)/p~+-Si heterostructured light-emitting devices. Such Er-related ～1.54μm EL can be enabled at a voltage as low as 6 V. It is derived that the Er-related ～1.54μm EL is triggered by transfer of the energy released from the defect-assisted indirect recombination in the ZnO host to the incorporated Er~(3+) ions. We believe that the present achievement paves the way for the Si-compatible ～1.54μm light emitters using the cost-effective oxide semiconductors as the hosts of Er~(3+)ions.