Investigation of the Temperature Degradation and Re-Activation of the Luminescent Centres in Rare Earth Implanted SiO₂ Layers

The temperature quenching mechanisms of the electroluminescence (EL) and the reactivation of the rare earth luminescent centres by the flash lamp annealing (FLA) made after hot electron injection into the SiO2 layer implanted by Tb and Gd was investigated. An increase of the temperature from room temperature up to 150oC reduces the gate voltage of about 3 V and increases the rate of the EL quenching process and the degradation of the Metal-Oxide-Silicon Light Emitting Diode (MOSLED) structure by a of factor of three. On the other hand, the post-injection FLA reactivates the RE centres switched off by electrons trapped around them during hot electron impact excitation, increasing the operating time of the MOSLEDs devices.