Time-resolved photoluminescence and capacitance-voltage analysis of the neutral vacancy defect in silicon implanted SiO2 on silicon substrate

The nanosecond photoluminescence (PL) dynamics of neutral oxygen vacancy (NOV) defects at 410-460 nm, and less pronounced nanocrystallite Si precursor (E'(delta)) defects at 520 nm in multi-energy silicon-ion-implanted SiO2 (SiO2:Si+) are investigated. The density of NOV defects in as-implanted SiO2:Si+ of 8x10(16) cm(-3) (or 2.5x10(16) cm(-3) calculated from time-resolved PL) is determined by using capacitance-voltage measurement. After annealing at 1100 degreesC for 3 h, the NOV defects are completely activated with a concentration of 4.8x10(17) cm(-3) and a corresponding absorption cross section of 9x10(-17) cm(2). The time-resolved PL lifetime of NOV defects in SiO2:Si+ is significantly shortened from 26 to 3.6 ns and these defects are fully activated after annealing for 3 h. Longer annealing time greatly attenuates the blue-green PL intensity and eliminates the NOV defects, whereas the PL intensity and concentration of E'(delta) defects with lifetime of 20-50 ns increases by a factor of 2. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.