A. A. Ezhevskii, M. O. Marychev, A. V. Kornaukhov, D. O. Filatov, V. G. Shengurov, “On the nature of electroluminescence at 1.5 $\mu$m in the breakdown mode of reverse-biased Er-doped silicon $p$–$n$-junction structures grown by sublimation molecular beam epitaxy”, Fizika i Tekhnika Poluprovodnikov, 2011, Volume 45, Issue 1,Pages 87

Semiconductor structures, low-dimensional systems, quantum phenomena

On the nature of electroluminescence at 1.5 $\mu$m in the breakdown mode of reverse-biased Er-doped silicon $p$–$n$-junction structures grown by sublimation molecular beam epitaxy

A. A. Ezhevskii, M. O. Marychev, A. V. Kornaukhov, D. O. Filatov, V. G. Shengurov

Scientific-Research Physicotechnical Institute at the Nizhnii Novgorod State University, Nizhnii Novgorod

Abstract: Electroluminescence features in the wavelength range of 0.9–1.65 $\mu$m were experimentally studied in the breakdown mode of reverse biased Si/Si:Er/Si $p$–$n$-junction structures grown by sublimation molecular-beam epitaxy. Based on the results of this study, a new physical model is proposed, in which radiative transitions in the near-infrared region are excited by recombination of electrons arriving at corresponding energy levels in the Si:Er layer due to their tunneling from the valence band of the $p^+$-layer in the electric field of the reverse biased $p$–$n$-junction. The model proposed is in qualitative agreement with main available experimental results.

Received: 06.05.2010
Accepted: 18.05.2010