Room-temperature blue luminescence of thermally oxidized Si1-x-yGexCy thinfilms on Si (100) substrates

We measured at room temperature the photoluminescence spectra of the therma lly oxidized Si1-x-yGexCy thin films which were grown on silicon substrates by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and then wet oxidized at 1100 degrees C for 20 min. The photoluminescence band with a peak at similar to 393 nm under the exciting radiation of lambda = 241 nm was observed. Possi ble mechanism of this photoluminescence is discussed. (C) 1999 American Ins titute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)01147-X].