Emissive Erbium-Doped Silicon and Germanium Oxide Nanofibers Derived from an Electrospinning Process

Use of sol–gel condensation reactions with the proper precursors, in conjunction with electrospinning methods, leads to the facile formation of one-dimensional nanofibers of silicon or germanium dioxide doped with erbium. These nanowires are characterized by a combination of scanning and transmission electron microscopies, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, FT IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. By comparing such structures with comparably sized nanofibers of erbium oxide (Er2O3), the influence of oxide matrix and erbium concentration on Er3+ luminescence in the near-infrared at 1540 nm is examined. Furthermore, an analysis of the luminescence excitation spectra of Er-doped GeO2 nanofibers prepared by the above route with Er-doped GeO2 NWs and Er-doped Ge NWs prepared by a different vapor–liquid–solid pathway suggests a common excitation mechanism of erbium ions in these structures assisted by GeO x through a carrier-mediated process.