Light emissions from a silicon nanocrystal thin film prepared by phase separation of hydrogen silsesquioxane

• Published in: Physica. E, Low-dimensional systems & nanostructures Vol. 89; pp. 57 - 60
• Main Authors: Zhang, Chi, Wang, Dong-Chen, Zhou, Zhi-Quan, Hu, Fei, Lu, Ming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.05.2017
• Subjects: Luminescence; Nanocrystalline materials; Thin films; Thin films; Nanocrystalline materials; Luminescence
• ISSN: 1386-9477; 1873-1759
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physe.2017.02.001

We report a facile method to prepare thin film of Si nanocrystals embedded SiO2 (Si-NC:SiO2) by annealing a photoresist of hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) at 1100°C in nitrogen via a phase separation process. The spatial density, photoluminescence intensity, the photoluminescence efficiency and electroluminescence intensity of Si-NC of the sample made from HSQ, or HSQ sample, were 15.0, 5.5, 1.5 and 7.9 times as large as those of the sample made by a traditional method of annealing SiOx (1<x<2), or SiOx sample, respectively. Meanwhile, the turn-on voltage of electroluminescence of the HSQ sample was only 3.8eV, which was more than 2 times smaller than that of the SiOx sample. The results of this work may find application in developing high brightness Si light sources. •A facile method to prepare Si nanocrystals is developed by annealing a photoresist.•Si nanocrystal thin film thus made possesses higher spatial density and light emission intensity.•A small turn-on voltage of electroluminescence of 3.8V is also obtained.