A. N. Mikhaylov

Formation and “white” photoluminescence of nanoclusters in SiOx films implanted with carbon ions

Experimental data on ion synthesis of nanocomposite layers with carbon-rich clusters and silicon nanocrystals by irradiation of nonstoichiometric silicon oxide (SiOx) films with carbon ions followed by high-temperature annealing are reported. It is shown that, at rather high doses of C+ ions, the resulting films exhibit photoluminescence with a spectrum that encompass the entire visible and near-infrared regions. The formation of carbon-rich clusters and silicon nanocrystals is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data. The distribution of carbon practically reproduces the calculated profile of ion ranges, suggesting that there is no noticeable diffusive redistribution of carbon. A qualitative model of the layered structure of ion-synthesized structures is suggested.

Resistive switching in metal-insulator-metal structures based on germanium oxide and stabilized zirconia

Bipolar resistive switching in metal-insulator-metal structures based on a double-layer insulator composed of a layer of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) containing 12 mol % Y2O3 and a layer of GeOx is studied. It is shown that the incorporation of an additional GeOx layer into the structure leads to a significant decrease in the variation of resistive switching parameters at both negative and positive voltages. Au/Zr/GeOx/YSZ/TiN structures exhibit a high stability of the resistance ratio in high-resistance and low-resistance states during cyclic switching. The studied structures can be used for designing next-generation nonvolatile memory elements.

Chemical and phase compositions of silicon oxide films with nanocrystals prepared by carbon ion implantation

The chemical and phase compositions of silicon oxide films with self-assembled nanoclusters prepared by ion implantation of carbon into SiOx (x < 2) suboxide films with subsequent annealing in a nitrogen atmosphere have been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in combination with depth profiling by ion sputtering. It has been found that the relative concentration of oxygen in the maximum of the distribution of implanted carbon atoms is decreased, whereas the relative concentration of silicon remains almost identical over the depth in the layer containing the implanted carbon. The in-depth distributions of carbon and silicon in different chemical states have been determined. In the regions adjacent to the layer with a maximum carbon content, the annealing results in the formation of silicon oxide layers, which are close in composition to SiO2 and contain silicon nanocrystals, whereas the implanted layer, in addition to the SiO2 phase, contains silicon oxide species Si2+ and Si3+ with stoichiometric formulas SiO and Si2O3, respectively. The film contains carbon in the form of SiC and elemental carbon phases. The lower limit of the average size of silicon nanoclusters has been estimated as ∼2 nm. The photoluminescence spectra of the films have been interpreted using the obtained results.

Effect of coalescence and of the character of the initial oxide on the photoluminescence of ion-synthesized Si nanocrystals in SiO2

The photoluminescence intensity (PLI) related to Si nanocrystals in a SiO2: nc-Si system synthesized by ion implantation is studied experimentally and theoretically as a function of the Si+ ion dose at various annealing temperatures Tann (1000–1200°C). The dose corresponding to the maximum PLI is found to decrease with increasing Tann. These data are explained in terms of a model taking into account the coalescence of neighboring nanocrystals and the dependence of the probability of radiative recombination of quantum dots on their size. It is found that, when silicon oxide is grown in a wet atmosphere, the photoluminescence spectrum contains an additional band (near 850 nm), which is related to shells around the nanocrystals. This band weakens abrupily after high-temperature annealing in an oxidizing atmosphere (air).

The influence of P+, B+, and N+ ion implantation on the luminescence properties of the SiO2: nc-Si system

The possible mechanisms of the influence of implanted impurities of Group III and V elements on the luminescence properties of a system consisting of silicon nanocrystals in SiO2 are considered and generalized. The effect of boron and nitrogen ion implantation on the photoluminescence intensity is investigated experimentally. The experimental results and previously reported data on the ion-implantation doping with phosphorus are discussed in terms of the mechanisms under consideration. The state of implanted phosphorus is determined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is shown that the enhancement and degradation of the photoluminescence depend on the type of implanted impurities and the conditions of postimplantation heat treatment.

Phonon-Assisted Radiative Electron-Hole Recombination in Silicon Quantum Dots

The temperature dependence of the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of silicon quantum dots (QDs) is studied both theoretically and experimentally, and the time of the corresponding electron-hole radiative recombination is calculated. The dependence of the recombination time on the QD size is discussed. The experiment shows that the PL intensity decreases by approximately 60% as the temperature increases from 77 to 293 K. The calculated characteristic recombination time has only a weak temperature dependence; therefore, the decrease in the PL intensity is associated primarily with nonradiative transitions. It is also shown that the phonon-assisted radiation is much more efficient than the zero-phonon emission. Moreover, the zero-phonon recombination time depends on the QD radius R as R8, whereas the phonon-assisted recombination time depends on this radius as R3.

Layer-by-layer composition and structure of silicon subjected to combined gallium and nitrogen ion implantation for the ion synthesis of gallium nitride

The composition and structure of silicon surface layers subjected to combined gallium and nitrogen ion implantation with subsequent annealing have been studied by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering, electron spin resonance, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. A slight redistribution of the implanted atoms before annealing and their substantial migration towards the surface during annealing depending on the sequence of implantations are observed. It is found that about 2% of atoms of the implanted layer are replaced with gallium bonded to nitrogen; however, it is impossible to detect the gallium-nitride phase. At the same time, gallium-enriched inclusions containing ∼25 at % of gallium are detected as candidates for the further synthesis of gallium-nitride inclusions.

Photoluminescence of porous silicon saturated with tungsten-tellurite glass with rare-earth metal impurities

It has been shown that the presence of silicon nanoparticles in a layer of porous silicon saturated with tungsten-tellurite glass causes an increase in the photoluminescence quantum efficiency of erbium (1530 nm) by an order of magnitude in the case of long-wavelength excitation and an enhancement of the ytterbium photoluminescence (980 nm) by almost 50 times and erbium photoluminescence by 25 times in the case of short-wavelength pumping. This luminescence enhancement is explained by the formation of additional channels of transfer of external excitation by silicon nanocrystallites in porous silicon to impurity ytterbium and erbium ions in tungsten-tellurite glass.

Luminescence and structure of nanosized inclusions formed in SiO2 layers under double implantation of silicon and carbon ions

Luminescent and structural characteristics of SiO2 layers exposed to double implantation by Si+ and C+ ions in order to synthesize nanosized silicon carbide inclusions have been investigated by the photoluminescence, electron spin resonance, transmission electron microscopy, and electron spectroscopy methods. It is shown that the irradiation of SiO2 layers containing preliminary synthesized silicon nanocrystals by carbon ions is accompanied by quenching the nanocrystal-related photoluminescence at 700–750 nm and by the enhancement of light emission from oxygen-deficient centers in oxide in the range of 350–700 nm. Subsequent annealing at 1000 or 1100°C results in the healing of defects and, correspondingly, in the weakening of the related photoluminescence peaks and also recovers in part the photoluminescence of silicon nanocrystals if the carbon dose is less than the silicon dose and results in the intensive white luminescence if the carbon and silicon doses are equal. This luminescence is characterized by three bands at ∼400, ∼500, and ∼625 nm, which are related to the SiC, C, and Si phase inclusions, respectively. The presence of these phases has been confirmed by electron spectroscopy, the carbon precipitates have the sp3 bond hybridization. The nanosized amorphous inclusions in the Si+ + C+ implanted and annealed SiO2 layer have been revealed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

Photoluminescence of Si0.9Ge0.1O2 and GeO2 films irradiated with silicon ions

We have studied the photoluminescence (PL) of GeO2 and 90 mol % SiO2-10 mol % GeO2 films synthesized by method of RF magnetron sputtering and then irradiated with silicon ions and annealed. The PL of silicon-implanted GeO2 films, related to the presence of Si nanocrystals (nc-Si), was observed for the first time. It is established that the transformation of the defect centers responsible for the PL in the spectral range 350–600 nm, as well as the formation of nc-Si emitting in the region of 700–800 nm, significantly depend on the matrix type. In particular, the PL intensity at 700–800 nm in 90 mol % SiO2-10 mol % GeO2 films is weak. The role of the isovalent substitution of Si and Ge atoms in the transformation of defect centers and the formation of nc-Si is discussed.