Electro-optical Properties of Non-stoichiometric Silicon Nitride Films for Photovoltaic Applications

Structure‐related current transport and photoluminescence in SiOxNy and SiNx based superlattices with Si nanocrystals

“…By fitting the experimental data with the Arrhenius law the corresponding activation energies were determined, which are found to decrease from about 300–70 meV with increase in the electric field. Such dependence is typical for the Poole–Frenkel emission and was also observed elsewhere . Indeed, the dependence of activation energy on electric field E in this case follows the equation: where E t − trap ionization energy, and b − Poole–Frenkel constant .…”

“…Indeed, both stoichiometric and Si‐rich silicon nitride are known to possess luminescent centers , and their emission might be easily misinterpreted as Si‐NCs related . Analyzing the known to date PL data on Si‐rich nitrides, one can notice that the defect‐related PL is more often characterized by a relatively broad peak (> 0.5 eV) with the maximum located above ∼1.8–2 eV , while the quantum confined PL − by a significantly more narrow peak located usually below ∼1.9 eV . According to these observations and taking into account the size‐dependent peak shift one may ascribe the PL of our 1150 °C annealed SON and SN samples to QC effect in Si‐NCs embedded in either silicon oxynitride or pure nitride matrices.…”

“…There are often contradictory reports in the literature regarding the PL source for silicon nitride films with and without Si‐NCs. Some authors argue for the quantum confined PL from Si‐NCs in Si‐rich nitrides , while the others ascribe the similar PL spectra to either matrix defects/band‐tail states or Si/Si 3 N 4 interface states, stating that the fact of Si‐NCs presence alone cannot act as a proof of quantum confined PL . Indeed, both stoichiometric and Si‐rich silicon nitride are known to possess luminescent centers , and their emission might be easily misinterpreted as Si‐NCs related .…”

“…Some authors argue for the quantum confined PL from Si‐NCs in Si‐rich nitrides , while the others ascribe the similar PL spectra to either matrix defects/band‐tail states or Si/Si 3 N 4 interface states, stating that the fact of Si‐NCs presence alone cannot act as a proof of quantum confined PL . Indeed, both stoichiometric and Si‐rich silicon nitride are known to possess luminescent centers , and their emission might be easily misinterpreted as Si‐NCs related . Analyzing the known to date PL data on Si‐rich nitrides, one can notice that the defect‐related PL is more often characterized by a relatively broad peak (> 0.5 eV) with the maximum located above ∼1.8–2 eV , while the quantum confined PL − by a significantly more narrow peak located usually below ∼1.9 eV .…”

Modeling of the refractive index and composition of luminescent nanometric chlorinated-silicon nitride films with embedded Si-quantum dots

“…Luminescent and down-converting silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) embedded in silicon nitride and silicon dioxide thin films continue being of great interest to develop silicon based devices for photonic, optoelectronic, and photovoltaic applications. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] For several specific applications and investigations, the control and determination of the refractive index and composition of these films are very important. Spectroscopic ellipsometry has been widely used to measure the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index or dielectric function, and the thickness of different luminescent nanostructured silicon-rich silicon nitride films.…”