Light Emission from Single Oxygen Vacancies in Cu₂O Films Probed with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Global photoluminescence (PL) and spatially resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) luminescence are compared for thick Cu₂O films grown on Au(111). While the PL data reveal two peaks at 750 and 850 nm, assigned to radiative electron decays via localized gap states induced by O vacancies, a wide-band emission between 700 and 950 nm is observed in STM luminescence. The latter is compatible with cavity plasmons stimulated by inelastic electron tunneling and contains no spectral signature of the Cu₂O defects. The STM luminescence is nonetheless controlled by O vacancies that provide inelastic excitation channels for the cavity plasmons. In fact, the emission yield sharply peaks at 2.2 V sample bias, when tip electrons are resonantly injected into O defect states and recombine with holes at the valence-band top via plasmon stimulation. The spatially confined emission centers detected in photon maps of the Cu₂O films are therefore assigned to excitation channels mediated by single or few O vacancies in the oxide matrix.