Enhanced Emission in Erbium- and Ytterbium-Doped Gallium Oxide Devices with Constrained Energy Band on Silicon Substrates

A kind of silicon-based erbium- and ytterbium-doped gallium oxide light-emitting device is proposed. The effects of ytterbium-doped interlayers on the electrical and emission properties are analyzed. It is found that a quantum well-like energy band that can confine electrons within the active layer has been formed. Pronounced interaction effects between erbium and ytterbium are confirmed, including energy transfer and electron transfer, which promote the excitation process for erbium emission, leading to enhanced luminescence. A maximum optical power density of ∼5.0 μW/cm2 can be acquired from the device based on the film with the thickness ratio of 1:1 and three interlayers, which is almost 60 times as high as the one without ytterbium-doped interlayers. Additionally, the inversion population within erbium can be detected, which is essential to the silicon-based electrically-driven laser.