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Title: Dynamics of high quantum efficiency photoluminescence from N-Si-O bonding states in oxygenated amorphous silicon nitride films

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4944056· OSTI ID:22591430
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  1. School of Electron Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)
  2. Taizhou Institute of Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Taizhou 225300 (China)

We have reported high internal quantum efficiency (IQE) (∼60%) of photoluminescence (PL) at 470 nm wavelength from oxygenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiN{sub x}:O) films. In this work, we explored the dynamics of high PL IQE from luminescent N-Si-O bonding states in a-SiN{sub x}:O films by using a combination of time resolved PL (TRPL) and temperature dependent PL (TDPL) measurements. The TRPL measurements include time integrated PL, microsecond range PL, and nanosecond range PL measurement modes. The a-SiN{sub x}:O films exhibit ns PL decay dynamics that is independent of pumping fluence (W{sub PF}) and uniform across the PL spectrum, which is different from the PL decay behavior in a-SiN{sub x} films. Particularly, we precisely monitored the temporal evolution of the PL spectra profile to verify that the luminescent N-Si-O bonding states are responsible for the observed blue PL with a radiative recombination rate of ∼10{sup 8} s{sup −1}. Such very fast radiative recombination rate can be compared with that in direct band gap CdSe nanocrystals and can also help us to understand the high PL IQE in a-SiN{sub x}:O films. Moreover, by combining the TD-PL lifetimes with the PL IQE values, the temperature dependence of radiative and nonradiative lifetime can be determined.

OSTI ID:
22591430
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 108, Issue 11; Other Information: (c) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English