Composition Optimization and Phase Transformation of Si-Nanocrystal-Doped $\hbox {SiO}_{x}$ for Enhancing Luminescence From MOSLED

Near-infrared (NIR) photo- and electroluminescence (PL and EL) of Si nanocrystals buried in Si-rich SiO_x, film, and their correlation with the structural phase transformation and the varied oxygen composition of SiO_x, are investigated. By detuning the N₂O flowing ratio (Y_{N 2 O} = [N₂O/(N₂O + SiH₄)] times 100%) from 93% to 80% during plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition growth, the oxygen composition ratio of the Si-rich SiO_x, can be adjusted from 1.64 to 0.88. The grazing incident X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra indicate that the SiO_x, transforms its structural phase from Si + SiO₂ isomer to Si + SiO + SiO₂ isomer. With O/Si ratio >1.24, the SiO_x, matrix becomes SiO₂ isomer, whereas the SiO_x, structure approaches SiO phase at O/Si ratio that is nearly 1.0. The formation of SiO matrix in SiO_x, grown at Y_{N 2 O} below 85% reduces the precipitated Si nanocrystal density from 2.8 times 10¹⁸ to 7 times 10¹⁶ cm^-3, and monotonically attenuates the NIR PL by one order of magnitude. Such a structural phase transformation from SiO₂ to SiO in SiO_x with lower O/Si ratio causes the degradation in EL power conversion efficiency and external quantum efficiency (EQE). Maximum EL power of 0.5 muW and EQE of 0.06% are obtained from MOSLED made on SiO_x, with optimized O/Si ratio of 1.24.