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Emergence of very broad infrared absorption band by hyperdoping of silicon with chalcogens

We report the near through mid-infrared (MIR) optical absorption spectra, over the range 0.05-1.3 eV, of monocrystalline silicon layers hyperdoped with chalcogen atoms synthesized by ion implantation followed by pulsed laser melting. A broad mid-infrared optical absorption band emerges, peaking near 0.5 eV for sulfur and selenium and 0.3 eV for tellurium hyperdoped samples. Its strength and width increase with impurity concentration. Its strength decreases markedly with subsequent thermal annealing. The emergence of a broad MIR absorption band is consistent with the formation of an impurity band from isolated deep donor levels as the concentration of chalcogen atoms in metastable local configurations increases. V C 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Optical properties of silicon (Si) nanocrystallites prepared by excimer laser ablation in constant-pressure inert gas have been studied in relation to the particle size. Visible photoluminescence (PL) bands in the red and green spectral regions appear at room temperature after an oxidation process. The red PL band is independent of the particle size and is stable without degradation by excitation light irradiation. It is concluded that the red PL is emitted from the surface states of the oxidized Si nanocrystallites. In contrast, the green PL band depends on the particle size. The green PL intensity decreases during excitation light irradiation in air, and then recovers in the subsequent vacuum evacuation. These results suggest that the origin of the green PL is associated with a quantum confinement effect of Si nanocrystallites.