Abstract:
280-nm-thick silicon-on-insulator films are implanted with high doses of hydrogen with the energy 24 keV and the dose 5 $\times$ 10$^{17}$ cm$^{-2}$. Peaks corresponding to optical phonons localized in the silicon nanocrystals 1.9–2.5 nm in size are observed in the Raman spectra. The fraction of the nanocrystal phase is $\sim$10%. A photoluminescence band with a peak at about 1.62 eV is detected. The intensity of the 1.62 eV band nonmonotonically depends on the measurement temperature in the range from 88 to 300 K. An increase in the radiative recombination intensity at temperatures $<$ 150 K is interpreted in the context of a two-level model for the energy of strongly localized electrons and holes. The activation energy of photoluminescence enhancement is 12.4 meV and corresponds to the energy of splitting of the excited state of charge carriers localized in the silicon nanocrystals.