Optical and electrical properties of Si nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 layers

Si nanocrystals were formed using a Pt nanoscale island etching mask. A high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image showed that the Si nanocrystals were created inside a SiO2 layer, and the cathodoluminescence spectrum showed that the luminescence peak is related to the Si nanocrystals. Capacitance-voltage measurements on Al/SiO2/nanocrystalline Si/SiO2/P-Si structures at 300 K showed that the value of the flatband voltage shift increased parabolically with increasing Si nanocrystal size. These results indicate that Si nanocrystals can be formed using a Pt island etching mask and that the magnitude of the flatband voltage shift for the Al/SiO2 /nanocrystalline Si/SiO2/p-Si structures is significantly affected by the size of the Si nanocrystals embedded in the SiO2 layer.