Transport and luminescence phenomena in electroformed silicon nitride-based light emitting diode

Abstract

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride-based heterojunction pin diode was electroformed under sufficiently high forward bias stress leading to its instant nanocrystallization at room temperature. In order to investigate the origin of the accompanying bright visible light emission, current-voltage and electroluminescence (EL) characteristics of the electroformed diode were scanned over temperature. Electrical transport mechanism was analysed in the low, medium and high electric field regimes. Temperature and field dependence of thermal activation energy were discussed. EL characteristics were studied using the spectral energy distribution and the injection current dependence of its intensity. Thermal quenching data of EL and photoluminescence intensities were compared. Finally, the relationship between the electrical transport and luminescence phenomena was attempted to be interpreted within the frame of a self-consistent model.

Keywords:

• silicon nitride heterojunction pin diode
• electroforming
• nanocrystallization
• electroluminescence
• activation energy
• band-tail transport