ELECTROLUMINESCENCE IN POROUS SILICON

Electroluminescence (EL) in gold-coated porous silicon has been studie d under pulse excitation. The room temperature EL is independent of am bient, unlike photoluminescence (PL). It decreases after 30 min anneal ing treatments, disappearing after about 480-degrees-C, whereas the PL from either a similar or the same sample, observed through the gold c ontact, is strongly reduced after the same treatment at about 350-degr ees-C. The EL peak wavelength, unlike PL, shows no spectral shift on a nnealing. It is deduced that the origin of the EL is different from th at of PL, and is consistent with silicon monohydride.