The formation of Er-oxide nanoclusters in SiO2 thin films with excess Si

Abstract: The nucleation, distribution, and composition of erbium embedded in a SiO2-Si layer were studied with high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy, energy filtered TEM, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When SiO2 layer contains small amounts of Si and Er, nanoclusters of Er oxide are formed throughout the whole layer. The exposure of oxide to an electron beam with 1.56x10(6) electrons nm(2) s causes nanocluster growth. Initially this growth matches the Ostwald ripening model, but eventually it stagnates at a constant nanocluster radius of 2.39 nm