Photoluminescence and electroluminescence of size-controlled silicon nanocrystallites embedded in SiO2 thin films -: art. no. 046105

Silicon nanocrystallites (nc-Si) were obtained by thermal annealing treatments of SiO/SiO2 multilayers, prepared by evaporation. The nc-Si size was controlled by the SiO thickness. In this study the SiO2 thickness was maintained at 5 nm and the SiO thickness was varied from 2 to 6 nm. The film's microstructure was studied by transmission electron microscopy. A strong photoluminescence was obtained in the visible range which corresponds to the radiative recombination of electron-hole pairs in the nc-Si. The electroluminescence signal is weaker and broader than the photoluminescence one. A model taking into account SiO2 defects and nc-Si is proposed to explain the electroluminescence results. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.