Dislocations in silicon and D-band luminescence for infrared light emitters

There is a growing demand for a silicon-based light emitters generating a light with a wavelength in of 1.3-1.6 μm range, which can be integrated into silicon chips and used for in-chip opto-electronic interconnects. Among other possibilities, the D1 luminescence at about 1.55 μm, caused by dislocations in Si, can be a suitable candidate for such in-chip light emitters. Here we present a brief review of today knowledge about electronic properties of dislocations in silicon and dislocation-related luminescence in connection with possible application of this luminescence for silicon infrared light-emitting diodes (Si-LEDs).