Correlation between luminescence and structural evolution of Si-rich silicon oxide film annealed at different temperatures

The visible red band light emission of the Si-rich silicon oxide films prepared by electron-beam evaporation with postannealing was investigated. The films annealed at temperatures lower than 600°C were composed of Si nanoclusters with high fraction of boundary atoms, featuring photoluminescence (PL) band centered at 700–710nm. By contrast, the PL bands of the films annealed at temperatures higher than 600°C redshifted with the expansion of the Si nanoclusters. The most intense light emission was observed in the 600°C annealed sample. The conversion of the luminescence mechanism from surface states controlled to quantum confinement controlled was proposed on the basis of the evolution of the film structure.