Mechanism of erbium electroluminescence in hydrogenated amorph silicon

The mechanism of the electroluminescence of erbium under a reverse bias in structures based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon is studied. Erbium ions are excited through an Auger process, in which conduction electrons are trapped by neutral dangling bonds (D ⁰ centers) located near the erbium ions. A stationary current through the structure is sustained by a reverse process involving the thermally stimulated tunneling emission of electrons by negatively charged dangling-bond defects (D ⁰ centers) into the conduction band of the amorphous matrix. Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 33, 671–673 (June 1999)