Effects of the Hole Tunneling Barrier Width on the Electrical Characteristic in Silicon Quantum Dots Light-Emitting Diodes

Electrical properties of the Silicon quantum dots (Si-QD) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), in its dependence on the nitrogen source used in the silicon nitride (SiN x ) matrix growth, have been studied. Si-QDs are formed in-situ during the SiN x film growth, and no post-annealing process for crystallization was applied. To confirm the electrical properties of the Si-QD devices, we manufacture the Si-QD LED. Both p-type and p + -type Si substrate were tested in role of hole tunneling in the LED performance. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analyses and the current–voltage ( I – V ) measurement show that the Si-QDs embedded in the SiN x grown with ammonia (NH 3 ) are located at the interface between the SiN x film and the Si substrate. This is related to the observed increase in the forward current by considering a decrease in the hole tunneling barrier width between the Si substrate and the Si-QDs.