Defect-enhanced visible electroluminescence of multi-energy silicon-implanted silicon dioxide film

White-light and blue-green electroluminescence (EL) of a multirecipe Si-ion-implanted SiO/sub 2/ (SiO/sub 2/:Si/sup +/) film on Si substrate are demonstrated. The blue-green photoluminescence (PL) is enhanced by the reaction of O/sub 3//spl equiv/Si-O-Si/spl equiv/O/sub 3//spl rarr/O/sub 3//spl equiv/Si-Si/spl equiv/O/sub 3/+O/sub interstitial/ during Si implantation. After annealing at 1100/spl deg/C for 180 min, the luminescence at both 415 and 455 nm is markedly enhanced by the complete activation of radiative defects, such as weak oxygen bonds, neutral oxygen vacancies (NOVs), and the precursors of nanocrystallite Si (E'/sub /spl delta// centers). Absorption spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance confirm the existence of NOVs and E'/sub /spl delta// centers. The slowly rising E'/sub /spl delta//-related PL intensity reveals that the formation of nanocrystallite Si (nc-Si) requires longer annealing times and suggests that the activation energy for diffusion of excess Si atoms is higher than that of other defects in ion implanted SiO/sub 2/. The EL from the Ag-SiO/sub 2/:Si/sup +//n-Si-Ag metal-oxide-semiconductor diode changes from deep blue to green as the driving current increase from 0.28 to 3 A. The maximum white-light luminescent power is up to 120 nW at a bias current of 1.25 A.