Role of amorphous silicon domains on Er3+ emission in the Er-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon suboxide film

An investigation on the correlation between amorphous Si (a-Si) domains and Er3+ emission in the Er-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon suboxide (a-Si:O:H) film is presented. On one hand, a-Si domains provide sufficient carriers for Er3+ carrier-mediated excitation which has been proved to be the highest excitation path for Er3+ ion; on the other hand, hydrogen diffusion from a-Si domains to amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiOx) matrix during annealing has been found and this possibly decreases the number of nonradiative centres around Er3+ ions. This study provides a better understanding of the role of a-Si domains on Er3+ emission in a-Si:O:H films.

Alloy states in dilute GaAs1-xNx alloys (x < 1%)

A set of GaAs1-xNx samples with small nitrogen composition (x<1%) were investigated by continuous-wave photoluminescence (PL), pulse-wave excitation PL, and time-resolved PL. In the PL spectra, an extra transition located at the higher-energy side of the commonly reported N-related emissions was observed. By measuring the PL dependence on temperature and excitation power, the PL peak was identified as a transition of alloy band edge-related recombination in GaAsN. The PL dynamics further confirms its intrinsic nature as being associated with the band edge rather than N-related bound states. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

Microstructure of a-SiOx : H

A set of a-SiOx:H (0.52 < x < 1.58) films are fabricated by plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor-deposition (PECVD) method at the substrate temperature of 250degreesC. The microstructure and local bonding configurations of the films are investigated in detail using micro-Raman scattering, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It is found that the films are structural inhomogeneous, with five phases of Si, Si2O:H, SiO:H, Si2O3:H and SiO2 that coexist. The phase of Si is composed of nonhydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si) clusters that are spatially isolated. The average size of the clusters decreases with the increasing oxygen concentration x in the films. The results indicate that the structure of the present films can be described by a multi-shell model, which suggests that a-Si cluster is surrounded in turn by the subshells Of Si2O:H, SiO:H, Si2O3:H, and SiO2.

Photoluminescence from ZnS1-xTex alloys under hydrostatic pressure

ZnS1-xTex (0.02less than or equal toxless than or equal to0.3) alloys are studied by photoluminescence under hydrostatic pressure at room temperature. Only a wide emission band is observed for each sample. Its peak energy is much lower than the corresponding band gap of alloys. These bands are ascribed to the radiative annihilation of excitons bound at Te-n(ngreater than or equal to2) isoelectronic centers. The pressure coefficients of the emission bands are smaller than those of alloy band gaps from 48% to 7%. The difference of the pressure coefficient of the emission band and the band gap increases when the binding energy of Te-n centers decreases. It seems contrary to our expectation and needs further analysis. The integrated intensities of emission bands decrease with increasing pressure due to the decreasing of the absorption coefficient associated with the Te-n centers under pressure. According to this model the Stokes shifts between the emission and absorption bands of the Te-n centers are calculated, which decrease with the increasing Te composition in alloys.

Structural characterization of stable amorphous silicon films

A kind of hydrogenated diphasic, silicon films has been prepared by a new regime of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in the region adjacent to the phase transition from amorphous to crystalline state. The photoelectronic and microstructural properties of the films have been investigated by the constant photocurrent method (CPM), Raman scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Our experimental results and corresponding analyses showed that the diphasic films, incorporated with a subtle boron compensation, could gain both the fine photosensitivity and high stability, provided the crystalline fraction (f) was controlled in the range of 0 < f < 0.3. When compared with the conventional hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), the diphasic films are more ordered and robust in the microstructure, and have a less clustered phase in the Si-H bond configurations. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of GaNAs alloys using different Ga precursors

The GaNAs alloys have been grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) using dimethylhydrazine (DMHv) as the nitrogen precursor, triethylgallium (TEGa) and trimethylgallium (TMGa) as the gallium precursors, respectively. Both symmetric (004) and asymmetric (1 1 5) high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) were used to determine the nitrogen content in GaNAs layers. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was used to obtain the impurity content. T e influence of different Ga precursors on GaNAs quality has been investigated. Phase separation is observed in the < 1 1 5 > direction when using TMGa as the Ga precursor but not observed when using TEGa. This phenomenon should originate from the parasitic reaction between the Ga and N precursors. Furthermore. samples grown with TEGa have better quality and less impurity contamination than those with TMGa. Nitrogen content of 5.742% has been achieved using TEGa and no phase separation observed in the sample. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Violet/blue emission from hydrogenated amorphous carbon films deposited from energetic CH3+ ions and ion bombardment

Considering the complexity of the general plasma techniques, pure single CH3+ ion beams were selected for the deposition of hydrogenated amorphous (a) carbon films with various ion energies and temperatures. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements have been performed on the films and violet/blue emission has been observed. The violet/blue emission is attributed to the small size distribution of sp(2) clusters and is related to the intrinsic properties of CH3 terminals, which lead to a very high barrier for the photoexcited electrons. Ion bombardment plays an important role in the PL behavior. This would provide further insight into the growth dynamics of a-C:H films. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Thermal redistribution of localized excitons and its effect on the luminescence band in InGaN ternary alloys

Temperature-dependent photoluminescence measurements have been carried out in zinc-blende InGaN epilayers grown on GaAs substrates by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy. An anomalous temperature dependence of the peak position of the luminescence band was observed. Considering thermal activation and the transfer of excitons localized at different potential minima, we employed a model to explain the observed behavior. A good agreement between the theory and the experiment is achieved. At high temperatures, the model can be approximated to the band-tail-state emission model proposed by Eliseev et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 71, 569 (1997)]. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.

The effects of pre-irradiation on the formation of Si1-xCx alloys

Carbon ions were implanted into crystal Si to a concentration of (0.6-1.5)at% at room temperature. Some samples were pre-irradiated with S-29(i)+ ions, while others were not pre-irradiated. Then the two kinds of samples were implanted with C-12(+) ions simultaneously, and Si1-xCx alloys were grown by solid phase epitaxy with high-temperature annealing. The effects of preirradiation on the formation of Si1-xCx alloys were studied. If the dose of implanted C ion was less than that for amorphizing Si crystals, the implanted C atoms would like to combine with defects produced during implantation, and then it was difficult for Si1-xCx alloys to form after annealine, at 950 degreesC. Pre-irradiation was advantageous for Si1-xCx alloy formation. With the increase of C ion dose, the damage produced by C ions increased. Pre-irradiation was unfavorable for Si1-xCx, alloy formation. If the implanted C concentration was higher than that for solid phase epitaxy solution, only part of the implanted C atoms form Si1-xCx alloys and the effects of pre-irradiation could be neglected. As the annealing temperature was increased to 1050 degreesC, Si1-xCx alloys in both pre-irradiated and unpreirradiated samples of low C concentration remained, whereas most part of Si1-xCx alloys in samples with high C concentration vanished.

Gap states of hydrogenated amorphous silicon near and above the threshold of microcrystallinity with subtle boron compensation

The effects of hydrogen dilution, subtle boron compensation, and light-soaking on the gap states of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films (a-Si:H) near and above the threshold of microcrystallinity have been investigated in detail by the constant photocurrent method and the improved phase-shift analysis of modulated photocurrent technique. It is shown that high hydrogen dilution near the threshold of microcrystallinity leads to a more ordered network structure and to the redistribution of gap states; it gives rise to a small peak at about 0.55 eV and a shoulder at about 1.2 eV below the conduction band edge, which are associated with the formation of microcrystallites embedded in the amorphous silicon host matrix. A concurrent subtle boron compensation is demonstrated to prevent excessive formation of microcrystallinity, and to help promote the growth of the ordered regions and reduce the density of gap defect states, particularly those associated with microcrystallites. Hydrogen-diluted and appropriately boron-compensated a-Si:H films deposited near the threshold of microcrystallinity show the lowest density of the defects in both the annealed and light-soaked states, and hence, the highest performance and stability. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.

The formation and stability of Si1-xCx alloys in Si implanted with carbon

Si1-xCx alloys of carbon (C) concentration between 0.6%-1.0% were grown in Si by ion implantation and high temperature annealing. The formation of Si1-xCx alloys under different ion doses and their stability during annealing were studied. If the implanted dose was less than that for amorphizing Si crystals, the implanted C atoms would like to combine with defects produced during implantation and it was difficult to form Si1-xCx alloys after being annealed at 850 degreesC. With the increment of implanted C ion doses, the lattice damage increased and it was easier to form Si1-xCx alloys. But the lattice strain would become saturate and only part of implanted carbon atoms would occupy the substitutional positions to form Si1-xCx alloys as the implanted carbon dose increased to a certain degree. Once Si1-xCx alloys were formed, they were stable at 950 degreesC, but part of their strain would release as the annealing temperature increased to 1 000 degreesC. Stability of the alloys became worse with the increment of carbon concentration in the alloys.

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon films with significantly improved stability

A new regime of plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition (PECVD), referred to as "uninterrupted growth/annealing" method, has been proposed for preparation of high-quality hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films. By using this regime, the deposition process no longer needs to be interrupted, as done in the chemical annealing or layer by layer deposition, while the growing surface is continuously subjected to an enhanced annealing treatment with atomic hydrogen created in the hydrogen-diluted reactant gas mixture at a relatively high plasma power. The intensity of the hydrogen plasma treatment is controlled at such a level that the deposition conditions of the resultant films approach the threshold for microcrystal formation. In addition, a low level of B-compensation is used to adjust the position of the Fermi level close to the midgap. Under these conditions, we find that the stability and optoelectronic properties of a-Si:H films have been significantly improved. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Resonant Raman scattering of a-SiNx : H

Micro-Raman measurements were carried out to investigate the microstructure of amorphous silicon-nitrogen alloy (a-SiNx:H) samples with different N contents prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Resonant Raman effect was discovered by using 647.1- and 514.5-nm excitation wavelengths. The frequency of TO mode downshifts with increasing photon energy without varying its width, while LO mode expands to a great extent. The frequency-dependent shift of TO band is explained by heterogeneous structure model and quantum confinement model, and the width expansion of LO mode may be related to the overlapping of LA and LO bands. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Photoluminescence and microstructure of the Erbium-Doped hydrogenated amorphous SiOx(0 < x < 2)

The hydrogenated amorphous SiOx films (a-SiOx:H) with various oxygen contents have been prepared using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The films were implanted with erbium and annealed by rapid thermal annealing. An intense photoluminescence (PL) of Er at 1.54 mum has been observed at 77 K and at room temperature. The PL intensity depends strongly on both the oxygen content of the film and the rapid thermal annealing temperature and reaches its maximum if the ratio of O/Si in the film is approximately equal to 1.0 at 77 K and to 1.76 at room temperature. The microstructure of the film also has strong influences on the PL intensity. The PL intensity at 250 K is slightly more than a half of that at 15 K. It means that the temperature quenching effect of the PL intensity is very weak.