Highly efficient electroluminescence from SnO2 nanocrystals and Er3+ co-doped silica thin film via introducing Ca2+

Abstract

Efficient and stable near-infrared silicon-based light source is a challenge for future optoelectronic integration and interconnection. In this paper, alkaline earth metal Ca2+ doped SiO2-SnO2: Er3+ films were prepared by sol-gel method. The oxygen vacancies introduced by the doped Ca2+ significantly increase the near-infrared luminescence intensity of Er3+ ions. It was found that the doping concentration of Sn precursors not only modulate the crystallinity of SnO2 nanocrystals but also enhance the luminescence performance of Er3+ ions. The stable electroluminescent devices based on SiO2-SnO2: Er3+/Ca2+ films exhibit the power efficiency as high as 1.04×10−2 with the external quantum efficiency exceeding 10%.