Room-temperature, short-wavelength (400–500 nm) photoluminescence from silicon-implanted silicon dioxide films

Abstract

Experiments are reported which explore the possibility of using low-temperature, multiple-energy Si+ ion implantation into thin SiO2 films on Si and subsequent short-time thermal processing to form silicon nanostructures capable of yielding a high-intensity emission in the short-wavelength part of the visible spectrum. A room-temperature short-wavelength PL band of high intensity was found after double implantation with energies of 200 and 100 keV at a temperature of −20 °C to a total dose of 4.8×10 16 cm−2 (atomic concentration about 2×1021 cm−3) and subsequent furnace annealing at 400 °C for 0.5 h in forming gas or by flash lamp annealing at 1050 °C for 20 ms.