Solid State Incandescent Light Emitting Device Made of WOx Embedded Zr-Doped HfO2 High-k Stack on Si

Abstract

The phenomenon of white light emission from the WOx embedded Zr-doped HfO2 high-k dielectric MOS device has been investigated. The embedding of the WOx layer into the high-k stack increased the breakdown voltage due to the larger physical thickness. Light was emitted from many discrete nano dots due to thermal excitation of conductive paths formed from the dielectric breakdown process. The inclusion of the W component in the conductive path enhanced the emission of the red to IR portion of the light. The light intensity corresponds to the current density, which increases with the diving voltage. Judged from the light emission mechanism and optical properties, the light emission phenomenon is close to the blackbody emission. This kind of device can be applied to many products to take the advantage of its unique optical and thermal characteristics as well as the IC compatible fabrication process.