PASSIVATION OF LIGHT-EMITTING POROUS SILICON BY RAPID THERMAL-TREATMENT IN NH3

The light-emitting porous silicon is treated by the rapid thermal proc ess at 900-1100 degrees C under NH3 environment. The infrared absorpti on spectra and Auger electron spectra show that the surface of porous silicon is covered with a nitride-containing layer. From the electron spin resonance, the density of dangling bonds is found to be quite low . The photoluminescence intensity shows a slight decay under the laser illumination and remains almost unchanged after three months storage in the ambient air. All of these results illustrate that the nitride c ould be an effective passivation film on the surface of porous silicon . (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.