Electroluminescence in the visible range during anodic oxidation of porous silicon films

Abstract

Porous silicon/silicon structures under anodic oxidation conditions give rise to an electroluminescence phenomenon in the visible range. Using an optical multichannel analyzer the spectral distribution of the emitted light was measured−in situ−during the anodic oxidation step. Recorded spectra show a maximum which shifts continuously from red-orange at the beginning of the process towards the yellow range. The visible emission well above the band gap of bulk silicon is attributed to a quantum size effect in the very small size (5–20 Å) silicon island which constitutes the porous silicon skeleton. The light emission is interrupted when the current flow stops due to the formation of a continuous oxide layer at the porous silicon/silicon interface.