Electroluminescence from silicon based porous β-SiC film and its mechanism

High dose of C+ ions were implanted into crystal silicon wafers at an energy of 50 keV. A continuous β-SiC layer was formed after thermal annealing. Conventional anodization technique was used to turn this layer into a porous β-SiC layer. A semitransparent gold film was selectively evaporated on the surface of the sample to form the top contact. Electroluminescence (EL) measurement was performed on the sample. When the applied voltage is higher than 25 V, blue (-447 nm) EL can be obtained. The EL mechanism was discussed.