Optical polarizability of erbium-oxygen complexes in sol-gel-based silica films

TL;DR

This study combines experimental and theoretical methods to analyze the optical polarizability and refractive index of erbium-oxygen complexes in sol-gel silica films, providing new insights into their optical properties.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed analysis of erbium impurity complexes' refractive index in silica, integrating experimental data with theoretical calculations.

Findings

Dopant refractive index of 1.76 with 2% dispersion

Theoretical polarizability-based index of 1.662 for ErO6 complexes

Photoluminescence data consistent with impurity site variability

Abstract

For erbium-doped amorphous oxides, such as those that are used in compact lightwave devices interfaced with silicon, values of the refractive indices are commonly obtained empirically. This work, combining experimental and theoretical studies, examines silica as the exemplary host and the influence of erbium doping on the refractive index. Analysis of data is presented for the spectral refractive index in the ultraviolet to near infrared wavelength range of heavily erbium-doped silica thin films prepared by spin coating a sol-gel precursor on silicon and subsequent vacuum annealing. Effective medium Lorentz-Lorenz data analysis determines that the dopant component has a refractive index of 1.76(0.24) with wavelength dispersion constrained to within 2 percent. Considering the dopant as a localized ErO6 impurity complex, a corresponding theoretical refractive index of 1.662 is derived by calculating the optical polarizability and volume of the impurity. Data presented for room-temperature (293 K) photoluminescence in the vicinity of 1.54 micron are shown to be consistent with random variability in impurity sites. Inherent advantages of studying colloid-based materials are discussed. To the best of the authors knowledge, such a detailed study of the refractive index associated with erbium impurities in silica is being reported for the first time in the literature.