VIOLET LIGHT-EMISSION FROM Ge+-IMPLANTED SiO2 FILMS ON Si SUBSTRATE

Germanium ions were implanted into SiO₂ films which were thermally grown on crystalline Si at an energy of 60 keV and with doses of 1×10¹⁵ and 1×10¹⁶ cm^-2.Under an ultraviolet excitation of ～5.0 eV,the implanted f ilms annealed at various temperatures exhibit intense violet luminescence with a peak at 396 nm.It is ascribed to the T₁→S₀ transition in GeO,which was formed during implantation and annealing process.     

Defect versus nanocrystal luminescence emitted from room temperature and hot-implanted SiO2 layers

Silicon nanocrystals have been synthesized in SiO₂ matrix using Si ion implantation. Si ions were implanted into 300-nm-thick SiO₂ films grown on crystalline Si at energies of 30–55 keV, and with doses of 5×10¹⁵, 3×10¹⁶, and 1×10¹⁷ cm⁻². Implanted samples were subsequently annealed in an N₂ ambient at 500–1100°C during various periods. Photoluminescence spectra for the sample implanted with 1×10¹⁷ cm⁻² at 55 keV show that red luminescence (750 nm) related to Si-nanocrystals clearly increases with annealing temperature and time in intensity, and that weak orange luminescence (600 nm) is observed after annealing at low temperatures of 500°C and 800°C. The luminescence around 600 nm becomes very intense when a thin SiO₂ sample is implanted at a substrate temperature of 400°C with an energy of 30 keV and a low dose of 5×10¹⁵ cm⁻². It vanishes after annealing at 800°C for 30 min. We conclude that this luminescence observed around 600 nm is caused by some radiative defects formed in Si-implanted SiO₂.     

Substrate temperature dependence of the photoluminescence efficiency of co-sputtered Si/SiO2 layers

Si particles embedded in an SiO₂ matrix were obtained by co-sputtering of Si and SiO₂ at various deposition temperatures T_d (200–700°C) and annealing at different temperatures T_a (900–1100°C). The systems were characterized by X-ray photoelectron, Raman scattering, infrared absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy techniques. The results show that the photoluminescence efficiency is strongly dependent on the degree of phase separation between the Si nanocrystals and the SiO₂ matrix. This is likely connected with the Si/SiO₂ interface characteristics, together with the features indicating the involvement of quantum confinement.     

Visible and infrared photoluminescence from Er-doped SiOx

The annealing behaviors of photoluminescence of SiO_x and Er-doped SiO_x grown by molecular beam epitaxy in the wavelength range of visible and infrared light are studied. For SiO_x, four PL bands located at 510, 600, 716 and 810 nm, respectively, are observed. For Er-doped SiO_x, the 716 nm band, which is believed to be originated from the electron–hole recombination at the interface between crystalline Si and amorphous SiO₂, disappears in the annealing temperature range of 500–900°C. It is suggested the enhancement of Er luminescence is partially due to the energy transfer from the recombination at the interface between crystalline Si and SiO₂ to Er ions.     

Si–SiO2 interface formation in low-dose low-energy separation by implanted oxygen materials

The evolution of the Si–SiO₂ interface morphology of low-dose low-energy separation by implanted oxygen materials was investigated by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The Si–SiO₂ interface morphology and the RMS roughness are strongly affected by the implantation conditions and the annealing process. Three main types of the domains including round, square, and pyramid shapes with the step-terrace structure were observed on the buried SiO₂ surface. Round domains are observed in the early stage of the annealing process, while the square and pyramid domains are observed after the high temperature annealing. The mean RMS roughness decreases with increasing time and annealing temperature, while in the 1350 °C 4-h annealed samples, the mean RMS roughness decreases with either increasing the implantation dose or decreasing implantation energy. The scaling analysis shows that the Si–SiO₂ interfaces were found to be self-affine on the short length scales with a roughness exponent above 0.50. Qualitative mechanisms of Si–SiO₂ surface flattening are presented in terms of the variations of morphological features with the processing conditions.     

Photoluminescence and paramagnetic defects in silicon-implanted silicon dioxide layers

Thermally grown SiO₂ layers on Si substrates implanted with Si⁺ ions with a dose of 6×10¹⁶ cm⁻² were studied by the techniques of photoluminescence, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and low-frequency Raman scattering. Distinct oxygen-vacancy associated defects in SiO₂ and non-bridging oxygen hole centers were identified by EPR. The luminescence intensity in the 620 nm range was found to correlate with the number of these defects. The low-frequency Raman scattering technique was used to estimate the average size of the Si nanocrystallites formed after the implantation and thermal annealing at T>1100°C, which are responsible for the photoluminescence band with a maximum at 740 nm. The intensity of this band can be significantly enhanced by an additional treatment of the samples in a low-temperature RF plasma.     

Visible photoluminescence of nanometer-sized SiGe/Si heterostructure fabricated by ion implantation

An innovative fabrication technique for the nanometer-sized SiGe/Si heterostructure was developed in this study. Ge was induced in Si substrate by two-step ion implantation. The spherical SiGe nanoclusters are self-assembled in the Si substrate by subsequent rapid thermal annealing at 1,100 °C. The diameter of the spherical SiGe nanoclusters is 5–7 nm. Visible photoluminescence from this nanometer-sized SiGe/Si heterostructure at room temperature was investigated. We found three peak energies of visible luminescence spectra at 1.97, 2.13, and 2.16 eV, respectively. The luminescence intensity depends on the number of the nanoclusters and will be decreased because of the micro-defects around the heterostructure, which is discussed in detail.     

Ellipsometric spectroscopy study of photoluminescent Si/SiO2 systems obtained by magnetron co-sputtering

Si nanograins embedded in silica matrix were obtained by magnetron cosputtering of both Si and SiO₂ at different substrate temperature (200–700°C) and thermal annealing at 1100°C. The samples were characterized by ellipsometric spectroscopy, high-resolution electron microscopy observations and photoluminescence. The highest excess of Si atoms was found to be incorporated for deposition temperature near 400–500°C, giving rise to a maximum PL and a shift of the peak position towards lower energy. These features might be interpreted in terms of quantum size effects and of density of grains, even though the interface states seem to be involved in the improvement of the photoluminescence efficiency.     

The origin of photoluminescence in Ge-implanted SiO2 layers

Ge ions were implanted at 100 keV with 3×10¹⁶ cm⁻² into a 300  nm thick SiO₂ layer on Si. Visible photoluminescence (PL) around 2.1 eV from an as-implanted sample is observed, and faded out by subsequent annealing at 900°C for 2 h. However, PL shows up again after annealing above 900°C at the same peak position. Compared with the as-implanted sample, significant increase of Ge–Ge bonds is measured in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the formation of Ge nanocrystals with a diameter of 5 nm are observed in transmission electron microscopy from the sample annealed at 1100°C. We conclude that the PL peak from the sample annealed above 900°C is caused by the quantum confinement effects from Ge nanocrystals, while the luminescence from the as-implanted sample is due to some radiative defects formed by Ge implantation.     

Influence of the ion synthesis and ion doping regimes on the effect of sensitization of erbium emission by silicon nanoclusters in silicon dioxide films

The photoluminescence spectra of erbium centers in SiO₂ films with ion-synthesized silicon nanoclusters under nonresonant excitation were investigated. Erbium was introduced into thermal SiO₂ films by ion implantation. The dependences of photoluminescence intensity on the dose, the order of ion implantation of Si and Er, the annealing temperature, and additional Ar⁺ and P⁺ ion irradiation regimes, i.e., factors determining the influence of radiation damage and doping on sensitization of erbium luminescence by silicon nanoclusters, were determined. It was found that the sensitization effect and its amplification due to doping with phosphorus are most pronounced under the conditions where nanoclusters are amorphous. The quenching of photoluminescence due to radiation damage in this case manifests itself to a lesser extent than for crystalline nanoclusters. The role of various factors in the observed regularities was discussed in the framework of the existing concepts of the mechanisms of light emission and energy exchange in the system of silicon nanoclusters and erbium centers.     

Light emitting diode structure based on Si nanocrystals formed by implantation into thermal oxide

Light emitting diodes (LED), continuously operable at room temperature, have been fabricated by Si⁺ ion implantation into SiO₂ and subsequent annealing in order to form Si nanocrystals. A highly doped poly-Si layer was used to enhance injection into nanocrystals. Visible electroluminescence (EL) was observed from the LEDs with oxide thickness 180 Å for bias voltages above 8 V. The EL decay transient was similar to stretched-exponential decays observed for photoluminescence (PL) from Si nanocrystals.     

Amorphous Si/insulator multilayers grown by vacuum deposition and electron cyclotron resonance plasma treatment

a-Si/insulator multilayers have been deposited on (0 0 1) Si by electron gun Si evaporation and periodic electron cyclotron resonance plasma oxidation or nitridation. Exposure to an O or N plasma resulted in the formation of a thin SiO₂ and SiN_x layer whose thickness was self-limited and controlled by process parameters. For thin-layer (2 nm) Si/SiO₂ and Si/SiN_x multilayers no visible photoluminescence (PL) was observed in most samples, although all exhibited weak “blue” PL. For the nitride multilayers, annealing at 750°C or 850°C induced visible PL that varied in peak energy with Si layer thickness. Depth profiling of a-Si caps on thin insulating layers revealed no detectable contamination for the SiN_x layers, but substantial O contamination for the SiO₂ films.     

Band bending at the Si(1 1 1)–SiO2 interface induced by low-energy ion bombardment

Experiments employing photoreflectance spectroscopy have uncovered band bending due to electrically active defects at the Si(1 1 1)–SiO₂ interface after sub-keV Ar⁺ ion bombardment. The band bending of about 0.5 eV resembles that for Si(1 0 0)–SiO₂, and both interfaces exhibit two kinetic regimes for the evolution of band bending upon annealing due to defects healing. The healing takes place about an order of magnitude more quickly at the (1 1 1) interface, however, probably because of less fully saturated bonding and higher compressive stress.     

Er离子注入的富硅SiO2MOS-LED的可见和红外电致发光特性

通过Er离子和Si离子注入并结合高温退火制备了Er掺杂的富硅SiO2薄膜以及ITO/SiON/富硅SiO2:Er/Si MOS结构电致发光器件.研究了富Si浓度的变化对Er3+离子掺杂的电致发光器件的发光性能和传导特性的影响.发现不同Si含量对Er3+离子的不同能级的电致发光会产生不同作用.在富Si量小于5％的条件下,...     

Evolution of step-terrace structure at Si–SiO2 interface in SIMOX substrate during annealing

The step-terrace structures at the interface between the Si layer and the buried SiO₂ layer of a Separation by IMplanted OXygen substrate has been observed by using atomic force microscopy (AFM) after removing the SiO₂ and Si layers. The time evolution of the Si–SiO₂ interface roughness during high-temperature annealing was analyzed by the scaling analysis of AFM data. The correlation length exhibited a nice correspondence to the size of square domain structures. Decreasing in the index of the length scale indicates that the growth mechanism changes as the annealing proceeds.     

THE INTERACTION OF Au AND THE Si/SiO2 INTERFACE DEFECT Hit(0.494)

The defects at the Si/SiO₂ interface have been studied by the deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) technique in p-type MOS structures with and without gold diffusion. The experimental results show that the interaction of gold and Si/SiO₂ interface defect,H_it(0.494), results in the formation of a new interface de-fect, Au-H_it(0.445). Just like the interface defect, H_it(0.494), the new interface defect possesses a few interesting properties, for example, when the gate voltage applied across the MOS structure reduces the energy interval between Fermi-level and Si valence band of the Si surface to values smaller than the hole ionization Gibbs free energy of the defect, a sharp DLTS peak is still observable; and the hole apparent activation energy increases with the decrease of the Si surface potential barrier height. These properties can be successfully explained with the transition energy band model of the Si/SiO₂ interface.     

Visible light emission from Si/SiO2 superlattices in optical microcavities

Bright quantum confined luminescence due to band-to-band recombination can be obtained from Si/SiO₂ superlattices. Placing them in a one-dimensional optical microcavity results in a pronounced modulation of the photoluminescence (PL) intensity with emission wavelength, as a consequence of the standing wave set up between the substrate and top interfaces. For a Si substrate, absorption of light reduces the PL efficiency, but for an Al-coated glass substrate the PL intensity is twice that of a quartz substrate case. The addition of a broad-band high reflector to the superlattice surface results in enhanced narrow-band emission. These results show that a suitably designed planar microcavity can not only considerably increase the external efficiency of luminescence in Si/SiO₂ superlattices but can also be used to decrease the bandwidth and selectively tune the peak wavelength.     

Si离子注入对分子束外延Si1-xGex/Si量子阱发光特性的影响

对分子束外延生长带边激子发光的Si_1-xGe_x/Si量子阱结构，通过Si离子自注入和不同温度退火，观测到深能级发光带和带边激子发光的转变.Si离子注入量子阱中并在600℃的低温退火，形成链状或小板式的团簇缺陷，它导致深能级发光带的形成，在850℃的高温退火后重新观测到带边激子发光.这种团簇缺陷的热离化能约为0.1eV，比Si中空穴或填隙原子缺陷的热激活能(约0.05eV)高.这表明早期文献中报道的深能级发光带是由类似的团簇缺陷产生的. 关键词：     

Effect of hydrogen defects on nanocrystallite layers of Si solar cells by hydrogen implantation

The Si solar cells were irradiated with high energy hydrogen ions of 10, 30, 60 and 120?keV at the dose rate of 10¹⁷ H⁺ ions (proton)/cm². The structural, optical and electrical properties of the implanted samples and fabricated cells were studied. The implantation induced defects bringing structural changes before and after annealing was evidenced by the transmission electron microscopy. The Raman spectrum showed a change of crystalline to amorphous state at 480?cm^?1 when the sample was implanted by hydrogen ion of 30?keV energy. Formation of nanocrystallite layers were observed after annealing. The electroluminescence images showed that hydrogen-related defect centers were involved in the emission mechanism. The photoluminescence emission from the implanted cells was attributed to nanocrystallite layers. From current–voltage measurements, the conversion efficiencies of implanted Si solar cells were found lower than the un-implanted reference cell. The ion implantation did not passivate the defects rather acted as recombination centers.     

Visible photoluminescence from a-Si : H/SiO2 superlattices fabricated by UHV evaporation

Hydrogenated amorphous-Si/SiO₂ (a-Si:H/SiO₂) superlattices with different a-Si : H thickness in the range of a few nanometers have been fabricated by ultra high vacuum evaporator (UHV evaporator). The photoluminescence (PL) of our superlattices is observed in the visible spectral region and the peak energy shifts to higher energy as the a-Si : H layer thickness decreases. The temperature dependence of the PL spectra reveals four sub-bands by fitting. Bands at 2.2, 1.9, 1.65 and 1.45 eV are detected and are attributed to E′δ centers, nonbridging-oxygen–hole centers (NBOHC), Si/SiO₂ interface and a-Si : H layer, respectively. We explain the overall blueshift of the PL spectra by the modification of the contribution of these sub-bands.