Room-temperature electroluminescence from erbium-doped amorphous hydrogenated silicon

We have studied electroluminescence (EL) in the amorphous silicon-based erb ium-doped structures under reverse bias in the temperature range 77-300 K. The intensity of electroluminescence at the wavelength of 1.54 mu m exhibit s a maximum near the room temperature. The excitation of erbium ions occurs by an Auger process which involves the capture of conduction electrons by neutral dangling bonds (D-0-centers) located close to erbium ions. The stat ionary current through the structure is kept by a reverse process of therma lly activated tunnel emission of electrons from negatively charged dangling -bond defects (D--centers) to the conduction band of the amorphous matrix. A theoretical model proposed explains consistently all of our experimental data. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.