Electroluminescence from semitransparent au film/nanometer SiO2/nanometer Si/nanometer SiO2/n(+)-Si structure under reverse bias

Nanometer SiO2/nanometer Si/nanometer SiO2 double-barrier (DB) structures, with Si layers having eleven different thicknesses from 2 to 4 nm, were dep osited on n(+)-Si substrates using the magnetron sputtering technique. Stro ng electroluminescence (EL) from semitransparent Au film/DB/n(+)-Si structu re was observed under reverse bias in a range of about 5-7 V. It is found t hat every EL spectrum of the structure can be decomposed into two Gaussian bands with peaks at around 1.85 and 2.25 eV, and their intensities and curr ent swing synchronously with increasing nanometer Si layer thickness; the p eriodic length of swing is consistent with half of the de Broglie wavelengt h of the carriers. A comparison was carried out between EL from the Au/DB/n (+)-Si structure under reverse bias and that from the Au/DB/p-Si structure under forward bias reported previously. (C) 2000 American Institute of Phys ics. [S0003-6951(00)01736-8].