Photoluminescence properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride

Abstract

We have investigated time-resolved PL spectra and nanosecond-order PL decay characteristics in silicon-rich a-SiN/sub x/:H film and discussed recombination processes of photogenerated carriers. The PL peak energy shifts to a higher energy as x increases. Time-resolved PL and nanosecond-order PL decay measurements indicate that the photogenerated carriers in the band-tail states recombine first through an exciton-like mechanism and then through a radiative tunneling mechanism as in the cases of near-stoichiometric and nitrogen-rich a-SiN/sub x/:H films.