On the nature of electroluminescence at 1.5 µm in the breakdown mode of reverse-biased Er-doped silicon p-n-junction structures grown by sublimation molecular beam epitaxy

Electroluminescence features in the wavelength range of 0.9-1.65 µm were experimentally studied in the breakdown mode of reverse biased Si/Si:Er/Si p--n-junction structures grown by sublimation molecular-beam epitaxy. Based on the results of this study, a new physical model is proposed, in which radiative transitions in the near-infrared region are excited by recombination of electrons arriving at corresponding energy levels in the Si:Er layer due to their tunneling from the valence band of the [p.sup.+]-layer in the electric field of the reverse biased p--n-junction. The model proposed is in qualitative agreement with main available experimental results. DOI: 10.1134/S106378261101012X