Nanowired structure, optical properties and conduction band offset of RF magnetron-deposited n-Si\In2O3:Er films.

RF magnetron-deposited Si\In _2 O _3 :Er films have the structure of the single-crystalline bixbyite bcc In _2 O _3 nanowires bunched into the columns extended across the films. The obtained films have a typical In _2 O _3 optical band gap of 3.55 eV and demonstrate the 1.54 μ m Er ^3+ room temperature photoluminescence. The current across the film flows inside the columns through the nanowires. The current through the MOS-structure with the intermediate low barrier In _2 O _3 :Er dielectric was investigated by the thermionic emission approach, with respect to the partial voltage drop in silicon. Schottky plots ln(I/T ^2 ) versus 1 /kT of forward currents at small biases and backward currents in saturation give the electron forward n-Si\In _2 O _3 :Er barrier equal to 0.14 eV and the backward In\In _2 O _3 :Er barrier equal to 0.21 eV.