It is well known that silicon-rich oxide (SRO) shows intense photoluminescence (PL). In this work, the authors studied the relationship of the surface morphology and the PL emission. PL spectra of SRO as a function of the excess silicon, temperature, and time of thermal annealing were obtained. The same samples were studied using transmission electronic microscopy and atomic force microscopy to determine their microstructure and surface morphology. A relationship between silicon agglomerates in the SRO and the surface morphology was obtained. Then, the red PL emission was related to the surface morphology. The authors found that the surface roughness is an important parameter for the high red emission of SRO.

Motivated by the necessity to have all silicon optoelectronic circuits, researchers around the world are working with light emitting silicon materials. Such materials are silicon dielectric compounds with silicon content altered, such as silicon oxide or nitride, enriched in different ways with Silicon. Silicon Rich Oxide or silicon dioxide enriched with silicon, and silicon rich nitride are without a doubt the most promising materials to reach this goal. Even though they are subjected to countless studies, the light emission phenomenon has not been completely clarified. So, a review of different proposals presented to understand the light emission phenomenon including emissions related to nanocrystals and to point defects in SiO₂ is presented.

This work presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a monolithic and complementary-metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS)-based integrated optical system, including the light emitter working in the visible range, waveguide, and photodetector. The presented system aims to be applied for the development of optochemical sensors. The work presents the proposed concept and the integration strategy, as well as the fabrication process. The individual elements of the system are theoretically evaluated to assure compatibility among them. Then, the fabrication and studies to the complete system are presented. The response of the light sensor is shown to be caused by optical stimulation of light originated in the integrated light source and transmitted through a dielectric waveguide, thus validating the integration procedure.

Silicon Rich Oxide (SRO) has been considered as a material to overcome the drawbacks of silicon to achieve optical functions. Various techniques can be used to produce it, including Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD). In this paper, a brief description of the studies carried out and discussions of the results obtained on electro-, cathode-, and photoluminescence properties of SRO prepared by LPCVD and annealed at 1,100°C are presented. The experimental results lead us to accept that SRO emission properties are due to oxidation state nanoagglomerates rather than to nanocrystals. The emission mechanism is similar to Donor-Acceptor decay in semiconductors, and a wide emission spectrum, from 450 to 850nm, has been observed. The results show that emission is a function of both silicon excess in the film and excitation energy. As a result different color emissions can be obtained by selecting the suitable excitation energy.

In this paper, we study the structural, optical and electro-optical properties of silicon rich oxide (SRO) films, with 6.2 (SRO ₃₀ ) and 7.3 at.% (SRO ₂₀ ) of silicon excess thermally annealed at different temperatures and used as an active layer in light emitting capacitors (LECs). A typical photoluminescence (PL) red-shift is observed as the silicon content and annealing temperature are increased. Nevertheless, when SRO ₃₀ films are used in LECs, a resistance switching (RS) behavior from a high current state (HCS) to a low conduction state (LCS) is observed, enhancing the intense blue electroluminescence (EL). This RS produces a long spectral blue-shift (∼227 nm) between the EL and PL band, and it is related to structural defects created by a high current flow through preferential conductive paths breaking off Si–Si bonds from very small silicon nanoparticles (Si-nps) (E _δ (Si ↑ Si ≡ Si) centers). LECs with SRO ₂₀ films do not present the RS behavior and only exhibit a slight shift between PL and EL, both in red spectra. The carrier transport in these LEC devices is analyzed as being trap assisted tunnelling and Poole–Frenkel through a quasi ‘continuum’ of defect traps and quantum dots for the conduction mechanism in SRO ₃₀ and SRO ₂₀ films, respectively. The results prove the feasibility of obtaining light emitting devices by using simple panel structures with Si-nps embedded in the dielectric layer.