Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-q6k6v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-12T18:24:54.530Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Strong Visible Photoluminescence in Silicon Nitride thin Films Deposited at High Rates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2011

Sadanand V. Deshpande ,
Erdogan Gulari ,
Steven W. Brown  and
S.C. Rand
Sadanand V. Deshpande
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Erdogan Gulari
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Steven W. Brown
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
S.C. Rand
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Get access

Abstract

Amorphous silicon nitrogen alloy (a-Si:Nx) thin films have been deposited using a novel hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) technique. In this method, a hot tungsten filament is used to decompose ammonia to obtain highly reactive nitrogen precursor species which further react with disilane to form silicon nitride thin films. This allows for very high deposition rates ranging from 600 Å/min to 2500 Å/min at low substrate temperatures. These films deposited at high rates show strong photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature in the visible region when excited with the 457 nm line of Ar+ ion laser. Intrinsic defects introduced into the amorphous silicon nitride matrix due to the rapid deposition rates seem to give rise to the visible PL. The PL intensity is at least 8-10 times stronger than silicon nitride films deposited by conventional plasma enhanced CVD. PL peak position of this broad luminescence was varied in the visible region by changing the film stoichiometry (Si/N ratio). The PL peak energy also scales predictably with the refractive index and optical band gap of the films. These samples showed reversible PL fatigue and also have band edge tail states characteristic of amorphous materials.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 325: Symposium L – Physics and Applications of Defects in Advanced Semiconductors , 1993 , 177
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Deshpande, S.V., Dupuie, J.L., and Gulari, E., AppL Phys. Lett. 61, 1420 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Dupuie, J.L. and Gulari, E., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A10(1), 18, (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Deshpande, S.V. and Gulari, E., Materials Research Society, Fall Meeting, Symposium N, Boston, MA (1993).Google Scholar
4. Kamigaki, Y., Minami, S., and Kato, H., J. Appl. Phys. 68(5), 2211 (1990).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Warren, W.L., Kanicki, J., Rong, F.C., and Poindexter, E.H., J. Electrochem. Soc. 139(3) 880 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6. Poolton, N.R.J. and Cros, Y., J. Phys. I France 1, 1335 (1991).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7. Austin, I.G., Jackson, W.A., Searle, T.M., Bhat, P.K., and Gibson, R.A., Phil. Mag. B 52(3), 271 (1985).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Markwitz, A., Bachmann, M., Baumann, H., Bethge, K., Krimmel, E., and Misaelides, P., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B 68, 218 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9. Lanford, W.A. and Rand, M.J., J. Appl. Phys. 49, 2473 (1978).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10. Boonkosum, W., Kruangam, D. and Panyakeow, S., Symposium A, presented at the 1993 Spring Meeting, San Francisco, CA (1993).Google Scholar