Radiative recombination in a silicon MOS tunnel structure

Recombination luminescence spectra of tunnel Al/SiO2/p-Si MOS structures have been studied experimentally. A mathematical reconstruction of these spectra taking into account the loss by photon reabsorption is carried out. For the first time, the experimental data are presented in absolute units (W eV−1). A relationship is shown between the shape of the spectrum and the energy of injected electrons, which is defined by the applied voltage. The rate of energy loss by photon emission has been estimated. The effect of the oxide degradation on the luminescence characteristics of MOS structures is considered.