1.3-μm light-emitting diode from silicon electron irradiated at its damage threshold

Abstract
We report 77‐K electroluminescence from an irradiated carbon‐rich silicon diode that has an internal quantum efficiency more than 103 times higher than that of band‐to‐band recombination in an unirradiated, but otherwise identical diode. This is achieved by creating optically active Cs‐SiI‐Cs complexes with room‐temperature electron bombardment at an energy between the displacement thresholds for single vacancy and divacancy formation. Under these irradiation conditions, it is possible to create a high concentration of radiative defects without gross degradation of the diode’s electrical characteristics. The technique could provide very large scale integration‐compatible silicon light‐emitting diodes for 1.3–1.6 μm all‐silicon integrated optics.