Enhanced electroluminescence from SnO2 nanocrystals/Er3+ co-doped silica thin film via Yb3+ doping

We prepared Yb3+ doped SiO2-SnO2:Er3+ films by sol-gel method in order to develop the high-efficient rare-earth light emitting devices. The enhanced characteristic near-infrared photoluminescence related to Er3+ ions was achieved as usual since the introduction of Yb3+ ions is equivalent to adding a new energy transfer channel. We further designed and fabricated the electroluminescent device based on SiO2-SnO2:Er3+/Yb3+ films. Interestingly, we demonstrated the significant enhancement of the near-infrared electroluminescence of Er3+ ions. Compared with the electroluminescent device without Yb3+ ions, the near-infrared electroluminescence integrated intensity of the Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped one is enhanced by more than 12 times. Our electroluminescent devices also exhibited good operating stability, which has great potential for the development of stable silicon-based light sources.