Photoluminescence study of nitrogen-oxygen donors in silicon

Abstract

The series of nitrogen-oxygen donors recently observed in infrared absorption has been studied for the first time using photoluminescence spectroscopy. These complexes are found to bind excitons and multiexcitonic complexes, with an exciton localization energy of 3.9 meV. Conclusive identification of the exciton binding centers with the nitrogen-oxygen donors is provided by the observation of bound-exciton two-electron transitions which leave the donors in their 2s or 2p± excited states.