Rafael Borges Merlo

Photoluminescence and compositional-structural properties of ion-beam sputter deposited Er-doped TiO2−xNx films: Their potential as a temperature sensor

Er-doped TiO2−xNx films were grown by Ar+ ion-beam sputtering a Ti + Er target under different N2 + O2 high-purity atmospheres. The compositional-structural properties of the samples were investigated after thermal annealing the films up to 1000 °C under a flow of oxygen. Sample characterization included x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, grazing incidence x-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence experiments. According to the experimental data, both composition and atomic structure of the samples were very sensitive to the growth conditions and annealing temperature. In the as-deposited form, the N-rich TiO2−xNx films presented TiN crystallites and no photoluminescence. As the thermal treatments proceed, the films were transformed into TiO2 and Er3+-related light emission were observed in the visible and near-infrared ranges at room-temperature. Whereas the development of TiO2 occurred due to the insertion-diffusion of oxygen in the films, light emission originated because of optical band...

Self-organized 2D Ni particles deposited on titanium oxynitride-coated Si sculpted by a low energy ion beam

Self-ordered Ni nanoparticles grown on TiNxOy-coated crystalline silicon previously sculpted by ion beam bombardment are reported. The samples are obtained following a sequential in situ routine deposition procedure. First, crystalline Si is Xe+ bombarded, generating regular patterns. Second, a thin TiNxOy film is grown on the patterned Si substrate. Immediately, nano-sized nickel particles are deposited by ion beam sputtering and temperature-annealed forming a 2D lattice. The self-organized Ni islands are induced by preferential Ni site nucleation on the coated sculpted Si grooves.

Monolithic Erbium-Doped Al2O3 Waveguide Amplifier

We propose the development of an integrated optical amplifier, consisting of a 980 nm emission laser and an erbium-doped waveguide. Coupling simulations and current fabrication results are presented, which shows that the finished device should be able to achieve a gain of 1.55 dB/cm.