  Amorphous silicon films doped with Y, La, Gd, Er, and Lu rare-earth elements
(a-Si:RE) have been prepared by co-sputtering and studied by means of electron
spin resonance (ESR), dc-magnetization, ion beam analysis, optical
transmission, and Raman spectroscopy. For comparison the magnetic properties of
laser-crystallized and hydrogenated a-Si:RE films were also studied. It was
found that the rare-earth species are incorporated in the a-Si:RE films in the
RE3+ form and that the RE-doping depletes the neutral dangling bonds (D0)
density. The reduction of D0 density is significantly larger for the magnetic
REs (Gd3+ and Er3+) than for the non-magnetic ones (Y3+, La3+, Lu3+). These
results are interpreted in terms of a strong exchange-like interaction, J RE-DB
SRE SDB, between the spin of the magnetic REs and that of the D0. All our
Gd-doped Si films showed basically the same broad ESR Gd3+ resonance (DHpp ~
850 Oe) at g ~ 2.01, suggesting the formation of a rather stable RE-Si complex
in these films.
