Overview of luminescence from MOS tunnel devices

The physical origin, observation conditions, simulation results and measured spectra of luminescence from MOS structures with a sub-3 nm oxide, are considered. The luminescence from such devices is related to the energetic relaxation of injected hot electrons and reflects the details of interplay between the photon and phonon emission. Measured spectra show the contribution from direct and indirect recombination and intraband optical transitions and are systematically changed by changing the operation conditions. Based on these spectra, it is possible to restore the net emission spectra by eliminating the reabsorption. Luminescence measurements on MOS tunnel structures are usable for oxide degradation tests if screening the recorded spectrum with the reference spectra.