Improved electroluminescence of spark-processed silicon by an aerosol-assisted technique

Abstract

The electroluminescence (EL) intensity (radiant flux) of spark-processed (sp) Si has been improved by one order of magnitude by introducing into the spark plasma an intimately mixed methanol/silicon particle suspension. This results in a smoother surface and an increased contact area to the semitransparent silver layer. As a consequence the light emitting region is substantially enhanced. Further, the device current increases by aerosol-assisted spark processing compared to conventional sp techniques. The EL spectra of sp-Si display maxima near 750 nm (1.7 eV) and 660 nm (1.9 eV) and a threshold wavelength for light emission at about 360 nm (3.2 eV). A mechanism for sp-induced EL of Si is proposed.

Infrared electroluminescence from erbium-doped spark-processed silicon

“…Thus, for wavelength below the energy gap (1.1 eV), the ''bottom window'' design is a better alternative (see in this context also Ref. [2]). …”

Investigation of the interaction between electrical discharges and low resistivity silicon substrates

“…Basically, the spark-processed silicon is highly resistant against aging, UV irradiation and thermal annealing up to 1100 8C. Typical parameters during spark treatment lasting for several hours are an electrode gap of several hundreds of mm up to 1 mm filled with air, high voltage levels up to several thousands of volts and currents in the mA range [10][11][12]. So far, however, no investigation of single pulses were reported in literature to study in detail the impact of sparking conditions on the local degradation of the surface.…”