The photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) properties of Ge-implanted ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{\mathrm{2}}$ layers thermally grown on a Si substrate were investigated and compared to those of Si-implanted ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{\mathrm{2}}$ films. The PL spectra from Ge-implanted ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{\mathrm{2}}$ were recorded as a function of annealing temperature. It was found that the blue-violet PL from Ge-rich oxide layers reaches a maximum after annealing at 500 °C for 30 min, and is substantially more intense than the PL emission from Si-implanted oxides. The neutral oxygen vacancy is believed to be responsible for the observed luminescence. The EL spectrum from the Ge-implanted oxide after annealing at 1000 °C correlates very well with the PL one, and shows a linear dependence on the injected current. The EL emission was strong enough to be readily seen with the naked eye and the EL efficiency was assessed to be about ${\text{5×10}}^{\text{−4}}.$

The optoelectronic applications of Si are restricted to the visible and near-infrared spectral range due to its 1.12 eV-indirect band gap. Sub-band gap light detection in Si, for instance, has been a long-standing scientific challenge for many decades since most photons with sub-band gap energies pass through Si unabsorbed. This fundamental shortcoming, however, can be overcome by introducing non-equilibrium deep-level dopant concentrations into Si, which results in the formation of an impurity band allowing for strong sub-band gap absorption. Here, we present steady-state room-temperature short-wavelength infrared p-n photodiodes from single-crystalline Si hyperdoped with Se concentrations as high as 9 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³, which are introduced by a robust and reliable non-equilibrium processing consisting of ion implantation followed by millisecond-range flash lamp annealing. We provide a detailed description of the material properties, working principle and performance of the photodiodes as well as the main features in the studied wavelength region. This work fundamentally contributes to establish the short-wavelength infrared detection by hyperdoped Si in the forefront of the state-of-the-art of short-IR Si photonics.

Bright green electroluminescence with luminance up to $2800\mathrm{cd}∕{\mathrm{m}}^2$ is reported from indium-tin-oxide∕$\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_2:\mathrm{Tb}∕\mathrm{Si}$ metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. The $\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_2:{\mathrm{Tb}}^{3+}$ gate oxide was prepared by thermal oxidation followed by ${\mathrm{Tb}}^{+}$ implantation. Electroluminescence and photoluminescence properties were studied with variations of the ${\mathrm{Tb}}^{3+}$ ion concentration and the annealing temperature. The optimized device shows a high external quantum efficiency of 16% and a luminous efficiency of $2.1\mathrm{lm}∕\mathrm{W}$ . The excitation processes of the strong green electroluminescence are attributed to the impact excitation of the ${\mathrm{Tb}}^{3+}$ luminescent centers by hot electrons and the subsequent crossrelaxation from ${}^{5}D_3$ to ${}^{5}D_4$ energy levels. Light-emitting devices with micrometer size fabricated by the standard metal-oxide-semiconductor technology are demonstrated.

Thermal processing in the subsecond range comprises modern, non-equilibrium annealing techniques which allow various material modifications at the surface without affecting the bulk. Flash lamp annealing (FLA) is one of the most diverse methods for short-time annealing with applications ranging from the classical field of semiconductor doping to the treatment of polymers and flexible substrates. It still continues to extend its use to other material classes and applications, and is becoming of interest for an increasing number of users. In this review we present a short, but comprehensive and consistent picture of the current state-of-the-art of FLA, sometimes also called pulsed light sintering. In the first part we take a closer look at the physical and technological background, namely the electrical and optical specifications of flash lamps, the resulting temperature profiles, and the corresponding implications for process-relevant parameters such as reproducibility and homogeneity. The second part briefly considers the various applications of FLA, starting with the classical task of defect minimization and ultra-shallow junction formation in Si, followed by further applications in Si technology, namely in the fields of hyperdoping, crystallization of thin amorphous films, and photovoltaics. Subsequent chapters cover the topics of doping and crystallization in Ge and silicon carbide, doping of III–V semiconductors, diluted magnetic semiconductors, III–V nanocluster synthesis in Si, annealing of transparent conductive oxides and high- k materials, nanoclusters in dielectric matrices, and the use of FLA for flexible substrates.

A key milestone for the next generation of high-performance multifunctional microelectronic devices is the monolithic integration of high-mobility materials with Si technology. The use of Ge instead of Si as a basic material in nanoelectronics would need homogeneous p- and n-type doping with high carrier densities. Here we use ion implantation followed by rear side flash-lamp annealing (r-FLA) for the fabrication of heavily doped n-type Ge with high mobility. This approach, in contrast to conventional annealing procedures, leads to the full recrystallization of Ge films and high P activation. In this way single crystalline Ge thin films free of defects with maximum attained carrier concentrations of 2.20 ± 0.11 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ and carrier mobilities above 260 cm²/(V·s) were obtained. The obtained ultra-doped Ge films display a room-temperature plasma frequency above 1,850 cm⁻¹, which enables to exploit the plasmonic properties of Ge for sensing in the mid-infrared spectral range.