Enhancement of 1.54-μm emission from Er-doped sol-gel SiO2 films by Au nanoparticles doping

Abstract
A 1.54-μm emission from erbium-doped sol-gel SiO2 was strongly enhanced by doping Au nanoparticles. The enhancement factor depended on Au concentration and was the largest at the concentration of 1.0mol% . The photoluminescence enhancement was accompanied by the lengthening of the lifetime, suggesting that the enhancement is caused by the decrease of hydroxyl groups. In addition, enhancement due to strong fields induced by localized surface plasmon of Au nanoparticles was observed.