Ion beam synthesized based formation of Ge - rich thermally grown silicon dioxide layers: a promising approach for a silicon based light emitter

The development of novel devices for optical communication and integrated sensor applications is mainly focused on their possible integration into dedicated integrated circuits. The main problem concerning integrated optical systems in silicon technology has always been the formation of an highly efficient silicon-based light emitter which is a key feature to make a real step into the world of integrated optoelectronics.
One of the most promising approaches to form such a silicon based light emitter is ion beam synthesis. In this paper we will report our recent progress in extracting blue-violet (~400 nm) electroluminescence (EL) from an ion beam synthesized Ge-rich silicon dioxide layer. The power efficiency of the EL was as high as 0.5 % which is one of the best values ever reported for Si - based light emission. The lifetime of the EL-device can reach several hours without special precautions of stabilizing the EL-active layer against ion or other contamination. Moreover, results are reported dedicated to the investigation of the excitation mechanism of this strong EL.