PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SiO2-DOPED Si FILMS AND ELECTROLUMINESCENCE IN METAL/SiO2-DOPED Si/P-Si DIODES

The doping of SiO2 islands in thin Si films was carried out using rf magnetron sputtering. These films are referred to SiO2-doped Si films. These films display efficient optical absorption in the optical energy region of 1.4-2.0 eV and the absorption is comparable to that of a-Si:H films. Efficient photoluminesecence from Si network in these films was observed. Also, efficient electroluminescence from metal/SiO2-doped Si/p-Si diodes was observed. It is concluded that this luminescence originates from the optical transition between electron- bound states in films and injected holes from p-Si. These optical characteristics suggest that the SiO2-doped Si films are useful for photovoltatic applications. 13 refs.