Structural evolution and photoluminescence of annealed Si-rich nitride with Si quantum dots prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition
- School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074 (China)
Silicon-rich nitride films were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) were formed by post-thermal annealing processing verified using the High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope. The 1100 °C thermal annealing leads to the nucleation of silicon atoms, the growth of Si QDs, and the rearrangement of Si 2p and N 1s elements. The structural evolution of silicon-rich nitride thin film with post annealing promotes the formation of Si QDs and Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} matrix. We also investigated the effect of the NH{sub 3}-to-SiH{sub 4} ratio R on the photoluminescence (PL) of SiN{sub x} with Si QDs. We found that the broad blue luminescence originates from both quantum confined effect and radiative defects. The intensity of the PL was changed by adjusting the NH{sub 3} flow rate. The increase of R could limit the transformation of Si QDs from amorphous to crystalline status, meanwhile lead to the alteration of distribution of defect states. These can help to understand the annealing-dependent characteristics, the PL mechanisms of silicon-rich nitride and to optimize the fabrication process of Si QDs embedded in nitride.
- OSTI ID:
- 22273550
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 115, Issue 15; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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