White photoluminescence of amorphous silicon-carbon alloy prepared by glow-discharge decomposition of tetramethylsilane

An amorphous film of silicon-carbon alloy with approximate composition Si0.1C0.9 was prepared on a fused-quartz, a glass, or a silicon wafer by the glow-discharge decomposition of tetramethylsilane. The film has an optical gap energy as large as 2.8 eV and shows white photoluminescence even at room temperature due to its broad emission band over the whole range of the visible spectrum. The photoluminescence is observable for the films deposited at substrate temperatures below 300 °C.