Modification of erbium photoluminescence decay rate due to ITO layers on thin films of SiO2:Er doped with Si-nanoclusters

Controlling the Emission Rate of Er3+ Ions by Dielectric Coupling with Thin Films

“…Such a long lifetime of the 4 I 13/2 metastable level makes the Er 3+ emission sensitive to nonradiative decay processes, such as upconversion and concentration quenching . Therefore, the possibility to control the excited state lifetime is of fundamental importance in the design of novel photonic devices based on Er-doped materials. − Since the early work of Purcell, it is well-known that the variation of the local photonic density of states (LDOS) can modify the spontaneous emission properties of an emitter. On the other hand, the presence of a reflecting surface or a dielectric interface in the vicinity of the emitter modifies the free space boundary conditions and thus changes the photonic density of states.…”

Emission Rate Modification and Quantum Efficiency Enhancement of Er3+ Emitters by Near-Field Coupling with Nanohole Arrays

“…However, despite the significant emission rate increase that can be achieved by the presence of a planar interface, a considerable part of the radiatively emitted energy is subsequently dissipated by lossy surface waves or by evanescent PSPPs that, in the absence of proper additional out-coupling mechanisms, are to be considered nonradiative modes for the far-field. , Thus, the number of photons that reach the far-field can be even lower than in the case of emitters embedded in a homogeneous medium and the far-field quantum efficiency of the emitting system results seriously compromised. Since the increase of radiative decay rateswhile limiting nonradiative processesis the key for maximizing the irradiated energy, − more complex systems have to be considered to overcome the limits of planar interfaces. A first step in this direction was carried out considering the effects of interface roughness in increasing the intensity and directivity of emission …”