Visible photoluminescence in amorphous SiNx thin films prepared by reactive evaporation

Photoluminescence in the visible domain can be observed in amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiNx) alloys prepared by evaporation of silicon under a flow of nitrogen ions. A strong improvement of the photoluminescence intensity was obtained with annealing treatments in the range 500–1150 °C. Structural investigations were performed by infrared and Raman spectrometry experiments. The optical gap was obtained from transmission measurements in the ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared range. The evolutions of the structure and the optical properties with annealing treatments are correlated to the evolution of the photoluminescence.