Oxygen-Induced Modification of Dislocation Luminescence Centers in Silicon

Abstract

Prospects for using the long-wavelength dislocation luminescence line D1 in silicon-based light-emitting diodes are considered. The standard spectral position of this line at 807 meV, rather than being canonic, depends on the morphology of the dislocation structure and the impurity environment of an individual dislocation. Data on the spectral distribution of luminescence intensity in the region of the D1 line have been analyzed in terms of the concentration of interstitial oxygen in a sample, plastic deformation parameters, and thermal treatment. The results obtained suggest that oxygen exerts a dominant effect on the spectral position of line D1 and luminescence intensity in its vicinity. It is shown that the probable structure of recombination centers can be described in terms of the donor-acceptor pair model, in which oxygen complexes serve as donors and the acceptors are structural defects in the dislocation core.