Structural-electronic aspects related to the near-infrared light emission of Fe-doped silicon films

► Fe-doped amorphous Si films were successfully prepared by cosputtering. ► Films with (controllable) Fe concentrations in the 0-2 at. % range were obtained. ► The experimental investigation also took into account different atomic structures (as induced by the realization of thermal annealing treatments). ► Both [Fe] and thermal annealing are critical to the achievement of near-infrared light emission due to β- FeSi2.