Strong photoluminescence of Sn-implanted thermally grown SiO[sub 2] layers.

The photoluminescence (PL) and PL excitation (PLE) properties of Sn-implanted SiO[sub 2] layers thermally grown on crystalline Si have been investigated and compared with those from Ge- and Si-implanted SiO[sub 2] layers. In detail, the violet PL of Sn-implanted SiO[sub 2] layers is approximately two and 20 times higher than those of Ge- and Si-implanted SiO[sub 2] layers, respectively. Based on PL, PLE, and decay time measurements, the violet PL is interpreted as due to a triplet-singlet transition of the neutral oxygen vacancy typical for Si-rich SiO[sub 2] and similar Ge- and Sn-related defects in Ge- and Sn-implanted SiO[sub 2] films. The enhancement of the blue-violet PL within the isoelectronic row of Si, Ge, and Sn is explained by means of the heavy atom effect. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]