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Journal of Electron Microscopy Advance Access published online on August 25, 2005
Journal of Electron Microscopy, doi:10.1093/jmicro/dfi040
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org
Received January 25, 2005
Accepted March 12, 2005

Article

Nanostructure of Er3+ doped silicates

Nan Yao 1*, Kirk Hou 1, Christopher D. Haines 2, Nathan Etessami 1, Varadh Ranganathan 2, Susan B. Halpern 2, Bernard H. Kear 2, Lisa C. Klein 2, and George H. Sigel Jr2

1 Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
2 Department of Ceramic and Materials Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nan Yao, E-mail: nyao{at}princeton.edu


  Abstract

We demonstrate nanostructural evolution resulting in highly increased photoluminescence in silicates doped with Er3+ ions. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging, nano-energy dispersed X-ray (NEDX) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence analysis confirm the local composition and structure changes of the Er3+ ions upon thermal annealing. We studied two types of amorphous nanopowder: the first is of the composition SiO2/18Al2O3/2Er2O3 (SAE), synthesized by combustion flame-chemical vapor condensation, and the second is with a composition of SiO2/8Y2O3/2Er2O3 (SYE), synthesized by sol-gel synthesis (composition in mol%). Electron diffraction and HRTEM imaging clearly show the formation of nanocrystallites with an average diameter of ~8 nm in SAE samples annealed at 1000°C and SYE samples annealed at 1200°C. The volume fraction of the nanocrystalline phase increased with each heat treatment, eventually leading to complete devitrification at 1400°C. Further XRD and NEDX analysis indicates that the nanocrystalline phase has the pyrochlore structure with the formula ErxAl2-xSi2O7 or ErxY2-xSi2O7 and a surrounding silica matrix.

Keywords: HRTEM; silicate; erbium; nanopowder; nanocrystal; waveguide; photoluminescence.
Dedicated to Professor John M. Cowley.
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