Patent ID: 7857907

Claim:
A method for forming a layered structure with silicon nanocrystals, comprising the steps of: forming a first conductive layer on a substrate; forming a silicon-rich dielectric layer on the first conductive layer; and laser-annealing at least the silicon-rich dielectric layer to induce silicon-rich aggregation to form a plurality of silicon nanocrystals in the silicon-rich dielectric layer, wherein the step of forming the silicon-rich dielectric layer comprises the steps of: using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process under a first set of conditions effective to form the silicon-rich dielectric layer having a thickness in the range of about 50 nm to 1000 nm; and changing the silicon content ratio of the silicon-rich dielectric layer to form the silicon-rich dielectric layer with a desired refractive index, and wherein the first set of conditions comprises a process temperature effective in the range of about 350° C. to 400° C., and a process time effective in a duration of about 25 seconds to 125 seconds.