Improved Room-Temperature 1.6 µm Electroluminescence from p-Si/β-FeSi2/n-Si Double Heterostructures Light-Emitting Diodes

We have epitaxially grown p-Si/β-FeSi2/n-Si double heterostructures light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on Si(111) substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy. The 1.6 µm electroluminescence intensity measured at room temperature (RT) was improved significantly for LEDs constructed using a thick β-FeSi2 active layer (190 nm) embedded in heavily-doped Si p–n diodes formed on floating-zone Si(111) substrates. The external quantum efficiency was increased up to approximately 0.02% at RT.