Electroluminescence from a-SiNx:H/SiO2 multilayers using lateral carrier injection

We report the observation of photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) from a-SiNx:H/SiO2 multilayer structures. The luminescence intensity is improved by a thermal annealing process. A new method of effective current injection has been implemented for electrical excitation of these structures whereby the electric field is applied parallel to the plane of the multilayers. Such structures are promising as Si based light sources for Si optoelectronics technology.