A recombination radiation line of electron-hole plasma, observed in electroluminescence spectra of tunneling silicon MOS diodes, has been investigated at the temperature K T 300 ≥. The internal quantum efficiency of the luminescence, equal to 3 10) 3 1 (− × ÷ , appears to be unexpectedly high. The spectral position of the luminescence line indicates, that a weak overheating of the diode by the diode current results in an anomalously strong reduction of the semiconductor energy gap inside the electron-hole plasma. A unique threshold optical hysteresis is observed in the luminescence intensity with changing diode current. These results are explained by condensation of injected electron-hole plasma into a dense state. A reduction of the semiconductor energy gap due to generation of phonons by the plasma is discussed as a reason of the plasma condensation. The plasma condensation is identified as the plasma self-compression. 3

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A surface distribution of the electroluminescence intensity of silicon p–n light‐emitting diodes is obtained under space‐scanning experiments at room temperature. An emitting surface of the diodes, represented by a few small bright emitting dots and a weakly emitting area outside the dots, serves as direct evidence of the self‐compression of injected electron–hole plasma in silicon. The plasma self‐compression explains concentration of injected carriers into one or a few strongly emitting plasma drops. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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