Observation of the size-dependent blueshifted electroluminescence from nanocrystalline Si fabricated by KrF excimer laser annealing of hydrogenated amorphous silicon/amorphous-SiNx:H superlattices

Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) was fabricated by KrF excimer laser annealing of hydrogenated amorphous silicon/amorphous-SiNx:H superlattices. A stable and reproducible electroluminescence (EL) based on these structures was observed at room temperature. It was found that the EL peak was significantly blueshifted from 780 to 600 nm with decreasing the a-Si:H sublayer thickness from 4.0 to 1.0 nm, while the intensity was also notably enhanced. The results suggest that the quantum confinement effect may play an essential role in visible light emissions from our present samples.