White photoluminescence from SiNx films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Z. T. Kang; B. K. Wagner; J. Parrish; C. J. Summers

doi:10.1117/12.685281

12 September 2006 White photoluminescence from SiN_x films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Z. T. Kang, B. K. Wagner, J. Parrish, C. J. Summers

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6337, Sixth International Conference on Solid State Lighting; 633710 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.685281
Event: SPIE Optics + Photonics, 2006, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Intense visible blue to red emissions were obtained from SiN_x thin films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using SiH₄ and NH₃ as the source gases. A continuous blue shift of the photoluminescence (PL) peak from 660nm to 440nm was observed by increasing the NH₃ flow rate from 20 to 150sccm, while the flow rate of N₂ diluted 2% SiH₄ was fixed at 650sccm. This controllable PL was attributed to the quantum confinement effect of Si quantum dots (QDs) which were formed during the deposition process and embedded in the SiN_x films. White photoluminescence with multiple emission peaks was achieved for potential solid state lighting applications from multi-layered SiN_x films by changing the SiH₄/NH₃ ratio during the deposition process. This was attributed to a combination of Si quantum dots with different sizes within the different layers. Surface texturing of the thin film samples was conducted by potassium hydroxide (0.56%) etching the (100) Si substrate for 3~40 min at 80°C before deposition. The reflectivity of the etched samples decreased with increasing etch time due to increased surface roughness. The extraction efficiency of light emission from the textured SiN_x thin films was significantly improved, owing to a depression of the internal reflection and interference effects. In addition, the elimination of the multiple emission peaks by surface texturing significantly affected the color coordinates of the output spectrum.

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Z. T. Kang, B. K. Wagner, J. Parrish, and C. J. Summers "White photoluminescence from SiN_x films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition", Proc. SPIE 6337, Sixth International Conference on Solid State Lighting, 633710 (12 September 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.685281

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