Resonant Tunnelling and Storage of Electrons in Si Nanocrystals within a-SiNx/nc-Si/a-SiNx Structures

The a-SiNx/nanocrystalline silicon （nc-Si）/a-SiNx sandwiched structures with asymmetric double-barrier are fabricated in a plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） system on p-type Si substrates. The nc-Si layer in thickness 5nm is fabricated from a hydrogen-diluted silane gas by the layer-by-layer deposition technique. The thicknesses of tunnel and control SiNx layers are 3nm and 20nm, respectively. Frequency-dependent capacitance spectroscopy is used to study the electron tunnelling and the storage in the sandwiched structures. Distinct frequency-dependent capacitance peaks due to electrons tunnelling into the nc-Si dots and capacitance-voltage （C - V） hysteresis characteristic due to electrons storage in the nc-Si dots are observed with the same sample. Moreover, conductance peaks have also been observed at the same voltage region by conductance-voltage （G - V） measurements. The experimental results demonstrate that electrons can be loaded onto nc-Si dots via resonant tunnelling and can be stored in our a-SiNx/nc-Si/a-SiNx structures.     

Large Storage Window in a-SiNx/nc-Si/a-SiNx Sandwiched Structure for Nanocrystalline Silicon Floating Gate Memory Application

An a-SiNx/nanocrystalline silicon [（nc-Si）/a-SiNx] sandwiched structure is fabricated in a plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） system at low temperature （250℃）. The nc-Si layer is fabricated from a hydrogen-diluted silane mixture gas by using a layer-by-layer deposition technique. Atom force microscopy measurement shows that the density of nc-Si is about 2 ×10^11 cm^-2. By the pretreatment of plasma nitridation, low density of interface states and high-quality interface between the Si substrate and a-SiNs insulator layer are obtained. The density of interface state at the midgap is calculated to be 1 ×10^10 cm^-2eV^-1 from the quasistatic and high frequency C - V data. The charging and discharging property of nc-Si quantum dots is studied by capacitance-voltage （C- V） measurement at room temperature. An ultra-large hysteresis is observed in the C - V characteristics, which is attributed to storage of the electrons and holes into the nc-Si dots. The long-term charge-loss process is studied and ascribed to low density of interface states at SiNx/Si substrate.     

Optical Properties of Co-BaTiO3/Mg（100） Nano-Composite Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition Method

Co nanoparticles embedded in a BaTiO3 matrix, namely Co-BaTiO3 nano-composite films are grown on Mg（100） single crystal substrates by the pulsed laser deposition （PLD） method at 650℃. Optical properties of the CoBaTiO3 nano-composite films are examined by absorption spectra （AS） and photoluminescence （PL） spectra. The results indicate that the concentration of Co nano-particles strongly influences the electron transition of the Co BaTiO3 nano-composite films. The PL emission band ranging from 1.9 to 2.2eV is reported. The AS and PL spectra suggest that the band gap is in the range of 3.28-3.7eV.     

FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SIZE-CONTROLLED AND PATTERNED nc-Si DOTS

A new method of phase-modulated excimer laser crystallization is adopted to fabricate the patterned nanometer-sized crystalline silicon (nc-Si) dots within the sandwiched structure (a-SiN_x:H/a-Si:H/a-SiN_x:H) films. The results of transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and Raman scattering show the ultra-thin and single-layer nc-Si films were patterned in the lateral direction and the size of crystallites is controlled by the thickness of as-deposited a-Si film in the longitudinal direction. The effects of the laser energy density on the structures of the samples and the crystallization mechanism are discussed.     

a-Si:H/a-SiNx:H超晶格薄膜的光学性质

本文介绍,当a-SiN_x:H层的厚度一定,a-Si:H层的厚度不同时,a-Si:H/a-SiN_x:H超晶格薄膜的光吸收系数、光学禁带宽度以及折射率随之变化的规律。 关键词：     

Investigation of Oxygen Vacancy and Interstitial Oxygen Defects in ZnO Films by Photoluminescence and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

ZnO films prepared at different temperatures and annealed at 900^o C in oxygen are studied by photoluminescence （PL） and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. It is observed that in the PL of the as-grown films the green luminescence （GL） and the yellow luminescence （YL） are related, and after annealing the GL is restrained and the YL is enhanced. The 0 ls XPS results also show the coexistence of oxygen vacancy （Vo） and interstitial oxygen （Oi） before annealing and the quenching of the Vo after annealing. By combining the two results it is deduced that the GL and YL are related to the Vo and Oi defects, respectively.     

Structural evolution of SiNx films deposited by ECR and its light emission

Structural and optical properties of a-SiN_x films deposited by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECRCVD) have been investigated. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy shows the structural evolution of the SiN_x films, which are defined as Si-rich SiN_x and N-rich SiN_x films, also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. The origin of the light emission for SiN_x films may be attributed to two mechanisms, i.e., quantum confinement effect (QCE) and transition of defect energy levels. The correlation between light emission and structures of SiN_x films is discussed.     

Effective control of photoluminescence from ZnO nanowires by a-SiN_x:H decoration

The a-SiN_x:H with a large bandgap of 3.8 eV was utilized to decorate ZnO nanowires. The UV emission from the a-SiN_x:H-decorated ZnO nanowires are greatly enhanced compared with the undecorated ZnO nanowire. The deep-level defect emission has been completely suppressed even though the sample was annealed at temperatures up to 400 °C. The incorporation of H and N is suggested to passivate the defect states at the nanowire surface and thus result in the flat-band effect near ZnO surface as well as reduction of the nonradiative recombination probability.     

Photoluminescence analyses of hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride thin films

Silicon-rich hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiN_x:H) films were grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) with different r=NH₃/SiH₄ gas flow ratios. The optical absorption characteristics were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and UV-visible transmittance spectroscopies. The recombination properties were investigated via photoluminescence (PL) measurements. As r was increased from 2 to 9, the PL emission color could be adjusted from red to blue with the emission intensity high enough to be perceived by naked eye at room temperature. The behaviors of the PL peak energy and the PL band broadness with respect to the optical constants were discussed in the frame of electron-phonon coupling and band tail recombination models. A semiquantitative analysis supported the band tail recombination model, where the recombination was found to be favored when the carriers thermalize to an energy level at which the band tail density of states (DOS) reduces to some fraction of the relevant band edge DOS. For the PL efficiency comparison of the samples with different nitrogen contents, the PL intensity was corrected for the absorbed intensity fraction of the incident PL excitation source. The resulted correlation between the PL efficiency and the subgap absorption tail width further supported the band tail recombination model.     

非晶态异质结构a-Si:H/a-SiNx:H和a-Si:H,a-SiNx:H薄膜的应力研究

实验发现在一定Si—H键浓度下,相对于平坦的硅衬底而言,在其上沉积的a-Si:H薄膜具有压缩应力,a-SiN_x:H薄膜具有伸张应力。当a-Si:H和a-SiN_x:H层厚度比近似于1:2时,硅衬底上生长的a-Si:H/a-SiN_x:H/c-Si样品,弯曲最小,并能保持很长时间。文中还给出了应力随退火变化的情况,并对实验结果进行了讨论。 关键词：     

a-Si:H/a-SiNx:H超晶格的掺杂效应

采用带有可转动掩板的沉积系统,合成出一类新的a-Si:H/掺杂a-SiN_x:H超晶格。样品中各子层厚度及a-SiN_x:H子层中N/Si比固定,仅改变掺杂浓度。结果发现:此类超晶格中的费密能级可以通过a-SiN_x:H层中的掺杂来控制,即a-Si:H/a-SiN_x:H超晶格可以从n型转变为p型,依赖于a-SiN_x:H子层中B的掺杂比。然而,a-SiN_x:H子层中P的掺杂对a-Si:H/a-SiN_x:H超晶格传输特性影响并不大。 关键词：     

Si nanocrystallites in SiO2 with intense visible photoluminescence synthesized from SiOx films deposited by laser ablation

We observed very intense and highly reproducible photoluminescence (PL) spectra for SiO_x films obtained by laser ablation of Si targets in 50-mTorr oxygen gas followed by proper annealing. It was found that the PL peak continuously changes from 1.4 eV at the center of the samples to 1.8 eV at the sample edge. The optimum values of the oxygen component in SiO_x was x=1.3-1.4 and the optimum annealing temperature was 1000 °C for intense PL. From transmission electron microscopy images of annealed films, Si nanocrystallites are found to be formed in the matrix of SiO₂ grown from the SiO_x and have diameters of 2-3 nm. These indicate that a high density of Si nanocrystallites with diameters of 2-3 nm in the SiO₂ phase are probably responsible for the PL and that the Si nanostructure is well formed from the as-deposited, metastable SiO_x (x=1.3-1.4) films by annealing at 1000 °C.     

Measurement and Analysis of Composition and Depth Profile of H in Amorphous Si1-xCx:H Films

Composition in amorphous Si1-xCx：H heteroepitaxial thin films on Si （100） by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） is analysed. The unknown x （0.45-3.57） and the depth profile of hydrogen in the thin films are characterized by Rutherford backscattering spectrum （RBS）, resonance-nuclear reaction analysis （R-NRA） and elastic recoil detection （ERD）, respectively. In addition, the depth profile of hydrogen in the unannealed thin films is compared to that of the annealed thin films with rapid thermal annealing （RTA） or laser spike annealing （LSA） in nitrogen atmosphere. The results indicate that the stoichiometric amorphous SiC can be produced by PECVD when the ratio of CH4/SiH4 is approximately equal to 25. The content of hydrogen decreases suddenly from 35% to 1% after 1150℃ annealing. RTA can reduce hydrogen in SiC films effectively than LSA.     

尺寸可控的纳米硅的生长模型和实验验证

基于经典热力学理论，对a-SiN_x/a-Si:H/a-SiN_x三明治结构或a-Si:H/a-SiN_x多层膜结构中纳米硅成核，以及从球形到鼓形的生长过程进行了研究. 建立了限制性晶化理论模型：在纳米硅生长过程中，由于界面能增大将导致生长停止，给出限制性晶化条件——a-Si:H子层厚度小于34 nm. 在激光晶化和常规热退火两种方法形成的a-SiN_x/nc-Si/a-SiN_x三明治结构和nc-Si/a-SiN_x多层膜结构中验证了该理论模型. 关键词： 非晶硅 纳米硅 激光辐照 结晶     

Optical and Structural Properties of Ammonia-Free Amorphous Silicon Nitride Thin Films for Photovoltaic Applications

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiN_x:H) thin films have been deposited through the green chemistry route using silane (SiH₄) and nitrogen (N₂) as process gases with SiH₄ flow being variable and N₂ flow being constant without the use of pollutant and corrosive ammonia (NH₃) by the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique at 13.56 MHz. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis shows various possible vibrational modes of Si-H, Si-N, and N-H bonds present in the film. Raman spectroscopy is performed on these samples to calculate volume fractions corresponding to amorphous phases present in the a-SiN_x:H films. The refractive index (η) values are calculated using Swanepoel's method, which are in the range of 2.89 to 3.17. The thickness of the deposited films has been evaluated using transmission spectra. Absorption coefficient and band gap (E _g) values are obtained from optical absorption studies. An increase in the E _g and a decrease in the η value have been observed for the samples grown with decreasing SiH₄ flow.     

Correlation between Light Emissions from Amorphous-Si：H/SiO2 and nc-Si/SiO2 Multilayers

We investigate the properties of light emission from amorphous-Si：H/SiO2 and nc-Si/SiO2 multilayers （MLs）. The size dependence of light emission is well exhibited when the a-Si：H sublayer thickness is thinner than 4 nm and the interface states are well passlvated by hydrogen. For the nc-Si/Si02 MLs, the oxygen modified interface states and nanocrystalline silicon play a predominant role in the properties of light emission. It is found that the light emission from nc-Si/SiO2 is in agreement with the model of interface state combining with quantum confinement when the size of nc-Si is smaller than 4 nm. The role of hydrogen and oxygen is discussed in detail.     

Evolution of Structural Defects in SiOx Films Fabricated by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Chemical Vapour Deposition upon Annealing Treatment

We study the structural defects in the SiO, film prepared by electron cyclotron resonance plasma chemical vapour deposition and annealing recovery evolution. The photoluminescence property is observed in the as-deposited and annealed samples. [-SiO3]^2- defects are the luminescence centres of the ultraviolet photoluminescence （PL） from the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and PL measurements. [-SiO3]^2- is observed by positron annihilation spectroscopy, and this defect can make the S parameters increase. After 1000℃ annealing, [-SiO3]^2- defects still exist in the films.     

退火对ZnS/PS复合体系光致发光特性的影响

用脉冲激光沉积(PLD)技术以多孔硅(PS)为衬底生长了ZnS薄膜,分别测量了ZnS、PS以及ZnS/PS复合体系在室温下的光致发光(PL)光谱。结果发现,ZnS/PS复合体系的PL光谱中PS的发光峰位相对于新制备的PS有所蓝移。把该ZnS/PS样品分成三块,在真空400℃分别退火10,20,30 min,研究不同退火时间对ZnS/PS复合体系光致发光特性的影响。发现退火后样品的PL光谱中都出现了一个新的绿色发光带,归结为ZnS的缺陷中心发光。随着退火时间的延长,PS的发光强度逐渐降低且峰位红移。把ZnS的蓝、绿光与PS的红光相叠加,整个ZnS/PS复合体系在可见光区450~700 nm形成一个较宽的光致发光谱带,呈现较强的白光发射。     

镶嵌在氧化硅薄膜中纳米晶硅的可见光荧光谱与发光机制的研究

采用对非晶氧化硅薄膜退火处理方法，获得纳米晶硅与氧化硅的镶嵌结构．室温下观察到峰位为2.40eV光致发光．系统地研究了不同退火温度对薄膜的Raman谱、光荧光谱及光电子谱的影响．结果表明，荧光谱可分成两个不随温度变化的峰位为1.86和2.30eV的发光带．Si2p能级光电子谱表明与发光强度一样Si⁴⁺强度随退火温度增加而增加．Si平均晶粒大小为4.1—8.0nm，不能用量子限制模型解释蓝绿光的发射．纳米晶硅与SiO₂界面或SiO₂中与氧有关的缺陷可能是蓝绿光发射的主要原因 关键词：     

a-Si:H和a-SiNx:H薄膜中的缺陷以及载流子的非辐射复合

应用红外光谱仪、分光光度计、光声谱仪和正电子湮没寿命谱仪,从不同的角度,研究a-Si:H和a-SiN_x:H薄膜中的成分、缺陷以及光生载流子的非辐射复合。 关键词：