Electrically tunable white-color electroluminescence from Si-implanted silicon nitride thin film

Visible electroluminescence (EL) with two composite bands, i.e., a violet band and a green-yellow band has been observed from Si-implanted silicon nitride thin films. By varying the intensity ratio of the two composite EL bands in terms of the injection current, strong white-color EL can be achieved at certain injection currents (e.g., ∼265 mA/cm2). The observed transition in EL color from violet to white under different injection conditions is studied based on the understanding that the violet band is originated from silicon nitride matrix while the green-yellow band is related to the implanted Si. The Si-implanted silicon nitride thin film offers the possibility of electrically tunable white-light Si-based light emitters.