Amorphous silicon nitride thin films implanted with cerium ions for cathodoluminescent light source

Abstract Cerium ions were implanted into amorphous silicon nitride thin films, and the cathodoluminescence (CL) of the thin films was investigated. The Ce ions were distributed within a depth of around 20 nm from the surface of the amorphous silicon nitride, and they formed three kinds of cations in the thin films. By implanting the Ce ions, the CL of the films was distributed around a wavelength of 405 nm. The CL increase of more than 2.2 times compared to silicon nitride thin films was observed at 25-kV electron beam excitation. This increase was significantly enhanced by adopting a high-temperature annealing process after the cerium-ion implantation.