Room temperature 1.6 mu m electroluminescence from a Si-based light emitting diode with beta-FeSi2 active region

Room temperature electroluminescence (EL) was obtained for the first time f rom a Si-based light emitting diode with semiconducting silicide (beta -FeS i2) active region. The peak wavelength was 1.6 mum and it is from beta -FeS i2 balls embedded in a Si p-n junction. An a-axis oriented beta -FeSi2 laye r was grown on n(+)-(001) Si by reaction deposition epitaxy (RDE), then p- and p(+)-Si layers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The beta -Fe Si2 aggregated into balls with about 100 nm diameter in this process. The E L intensity increased superlinearly with increase of the injected current d ensity, and reasonable EL was obtained at current density above 10 A/cm(2), though the photoluminescence (PL) was difficult to be detected at room tem perature.