TY - JOUR

T1 - A room-temperature-operated Si LED with β-FeSi2 nanocrystals in the active layer

T2 - μW emission power at 1.5 μm

AU - Shevlyagin, A. V.

AU - Goroshko, D. L.

AU - Chusovitin, E. A.

AU - Balagan, S. A.

AU - Dotcenko, S. A.

AU - Galkin, K. N.

AU - Galkin, N. G.

AU - Shamirzaev, T. S.

AU - Gutakovskii, A. K.

AU - Latyshev, A. V.

AU - Iinuma, M.

AU - Terai, Y.

PY - 2017/3/21

Y1 - 2017/3/21

N2 - This article describes the development of an Si-based light-emitting diode with β-FeSi2 nanocrystals embedded in the active layer. Favorable epitaxial conditions allow us to obtain a direct band gap type-I band alignment Si/β-FeSi2 nanocrystals/Si heterostructure with optical transition at a wavelength range of 1500-1550 nm at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy data reveal strained, defect-free β-FeSi2 nanocrystals of diameter 6 and 25 nm embedded in the Si matrix. Intense electroluminescence was observed at a pumping current density as low as 0.7 A/cm2. The device reached an optical emission power of up to 25 μW at 9 A/cm2 with an external quantum efficiency of 0.009%. Watt-Ampere characteristic linearity suggests that the optical power margin of the light-emitting diode has not been exhausted. Band structure calculations explain the luminescence as being mainly due to radiative recombination in the large β-FeSi2 nanocrystals resulting from the realization of an indirect-to-direct band gap electronic configuration transformation arising from a favorable deformation of nanocrystals. The direct band gap structure and the measured short decay time of the luminescence of several tens of ns give rise to a fast operation speed for the device. Thus a method for developing a silicon-based photonic integrated circuit, combining complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology functionality and near-infrared light emission, is reported here.

AB - This article describes the development of an Si-based light-emitting diode with β-FeSi2 nanocrystals embedded in the active layer. Favorable epitaxial conditions allow us to obtain a direct band gap type-I band alignment Si/β-FeSi2 nanocrystals/Si heterostructure with optical transition at a wavelength range of 1500-1550 nm at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy data reveal strained, defect-free β-FeSi2 nanocrystals of diameter 6 and 25 nm embedded in the Si matrix. Intense electroluminescence was observed at a pumping current density as low as 0.7 A/cm2. The device reached an optical emission power of up to 25 μW at 9 A/cm2 with an external quantum efficiency of 0.009%. Watt-Ampere characteristic linearity suggests that the optical power margin of the light-emitting diode has not been exhausted. Band structure calculations explain the luminescence as being mainly due to radiative recombination in the large β-FeSi2 nanocrystals resulting from the realization of an indirect-to-direct band gap electronic configuration transformation arising from a favorable deformation of nanocrystals. The direct band gap structure and the measured short decay time of the luminescence of several tens of ns give rise to a fast operation speed for the device. Thus a method for developing a silicon-based photonic integrated circuit, combining complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology functionality and near-infrared light emission, is reported here.

KW - MOLECULAR-BEAM EPITAXY

KW - LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE

KW - SEMICONDUCTING IRON DISILICIDE

KW - TOTAL-ENERGY CALCULATIONS

KW - WAVE BASIS-SET

KW - THIN-FILMS

KW - DOUBLE-HETEROSTRUCTURES

KW - BETA-FESI2

KW - SILICON

KW - PHOTOLUMINESCENCE

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85015433382&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1063/1.4978372

DO - 10.1063/1.4978372

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85015433382

VL - 121

JO - Journal of Applied Physics

JF - Journal of Applied Physics

SN - 0021-8979

IS - 11

M1 - 113101

ER -