Erbium-Doped Mixed Oxide Nanowires of Zinc and Germanium: Role of Host Structure on Near Infrared Emission

This work describes the fabrication of Er-doped oxide nanowires containing both zinc and germanium through selected sol gel reactions in concert with electrospinning and thermal removal of polymer templates. These nanowires exhibit strong Er3+ near-IR photoluminescence at 1.54 mu m after annealing; it is found that the mechanism of this emission can be mediated through the selection of appropriate composition and annealing temperature. Relatively high Er concentrations (up to 3 at. %, excluding oxygen) can be incorporated into these structures, with retention of Er3+ emission due presumably to an absence of erbium self-quenching and associated nonradiative pathways.