Low-temperature growth of near-infrared luminescent Bi-doped SiO(x)N(y) thin films

Bi-doped siliconoxynitride (SiON:Bi) thin films were prepared by a sputtering method and the photoluminescence (PL) properties were studied. Without any thermal treatments, broad Bi-related luminescence was observed in the near-infrared (NIR) range. The luminescence efficiency depended strongly on the film composition. It was found that N atoms play a crucial role for the formation of Bi NIR luminescence centers. The effect of annealing on the luminescence efficiency was also studied. The optimum annealing temperature to have the largest number of Bi NIR luminescence centers depended strongly on the film composition and it was lower for films with lower N concentration. The PL excitation spectra revealed that two different Bi NIR luminescence centers exist in the films.