Exciton luminescence from silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon nitride film

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) method was used for silicon nanostructure synthesis in silicon nitride film. After deposition, films were annealed in vacuum at temperatures ranging from 600 to 900 deg. C for 10 min using rapid thermal annealing system. Exciton luminescence from quantum silicon structures was observed in annealed films by low temperature photoluminescence at a temperature of 11 K. Indirect momentum-conserving phonon-assisted exciton luminescence peaks observed give the evidence that silicon nitride matrices have silicon nanostructures in crystalline form